


Heart Unbound

by thechenesis



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Exhibitionism, M/M, Masturbation, Mostly Fluff, Pain Kink, Polyamory, Smut, Smut is TIRING, Threesome - M/M/M, little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:35:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 51,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22725499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thechenesis/pseuds/thechenesis
Summary: Baekhyun fell in love once. Twice. Obliviously so, those two fell in love with him, too.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 12
Kudos: 92
Collections: Unrestricted Love Poly Fic Fest





	Heart Unbound

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Unrestricted Love Poly Fic Fest! I would like to thank the mods for being so generous and understanding throughout this process. If not for your flexibility, I wouldn't have been able to finish this piece, so thank you ♡
> 
> To my prompter (#NAU012): I hope I did your idea justice! Thank you for such a lovely prompt. After writing this fic, I love CBX more than before! I hope readers will feel the same way.
> 
> My deepest appreciation to Nadz for her immeasurable help by beta'ing this fic for me (in the speed of light!) -- You're the best-est! Also thanks to everyone who read parts of this fic before and helped me improve it (I really appreciate it ♡).
> 
> Since this term might have already faded away from collective memory, here's a reminder of what a 'some' (썸) relationship is (or was) in Korea: when you are going out with someone, but you're not quite girlfriend/boyfriend officially yet and your relationship status is somewhat ambiguous.
> 
> Lastly, [here's a moodboard](https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/8126/ZpGB8m.gif) I made for this fic!
> 
> Without further ado... I hope you enjoy ♡

“I'd like a strawberry frappuccino, please."

The barista at the small cafe nodded and left.

Baekhyun was nervous. Not just slightly, but _very much_ so: he could feel it in his mind and body, by the stiffness of his shoulders, the dryness of his mouth. That night, he was going to make an attempt into uncharted lands; he was both excited and terribly scared. Being quite successful in his previous ventures, he was mildly afraid of failure. However, he felt it would be unfair to make use of his fame to give himself an edge in a new field. _No_. He would start at the bottom like most people do, would embarrass himself and work for peanuts until his ability was either recognized or rejected ― in which case he would accept failure and move on. He wanted to be able to _struggle_ , as weird as that may sound, because if he managed to succeed, he did not want it to be followed by the bitter aftertaste of people telling him he did not deserve it.

"Oh my _god_ , this tastes delicious!" He exclaimed, after taking a sip of the pinkish drink the barista had brought him.

"Thank you," the young man answered warmly. He glanced at Baekhyun again, taking note of his hoodie, mask (which he had temporarily lowered to use the straw) and sunglasses. "If you'd like, I can arrange a more private space for you. There's a room at the back you could use," he offered.

"Thanks, but I'm good," Baekhyun replied, taking another sip. Up to that point, he was sure nobody had recognized him: his oversized sweatshirt did a good job at disguising both his figure and his head. "Although I may accept your offer in the future, if you keep it open", he added, as an afterthought. "It depends on how this neighborhood goes."

"Oh?" The employee replied as he placed a new set of cookies into the small electric oven under the counter. "Are you new around here?"

"Yep; just moved in," he informed mindlessly, before realizing it might be a problem if that barista happened to be a fan. He most likely was _not_ , as he had looked at Baekhyun straight in the face and not showed any sign of recognition, but Baekhyun _had_ had previous experiences with sly people in the past. He figured it might be better to investigate. "Are you into games?" He asked nonchalantly, his fingers tracing invisible swirls in the condensation on his plastic cup.

The barista seemed a bit surprised at the question. He stopped in front of Baekhyun, dishcloth in hands. His eyes glanced upwards as he thought. "Hm, I guess it depends what kind of game. You mean video games?"

"Yeah."

"Not really. I guess I'm too old for that sort of thing."

Baekhyun looked at him from head to toe and frowned. The boy was about his height and built ― perhaps with slightly narrower shoulders and an apparently more toned body, at least according to how the white shirt hugged his muscles ―, soft brownish hair styled up sideways, and a straight black apron tied around his waist. He had beautiful monolids, a small face, and a very particular smile. "There's no way you're older than me."

"Really?" It was the barista's time to assess Baekhyun's looks. His eyes roamed around Baekhyun's puffy cheeks and peachy skin for a bit, then fixated again on his droopy eyes behind the large sunglasses. "How old do you think I am?" He asked, unmistakably delighted at the situation.

"I dunno- my age, perhaps? I guess around 26, 28 max?"

The guy smiled wide. "Thank you."

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow at him and his lack of information. "I assume you're older, then?" He inquired, since it was obvious the man had no intention whatsoever of sharing that piece of knowledge with him voluntarily.

"I'll leave it up to your imagination," was his irritating reply. Baekhyun pouted discreetly around the straw in his mouth, but the barista did not seem to notice. "Anyway," the man obliviously continued, "if you ever want some more privacy, like I said before, there's a room at the back you can use. It's actually supposed to be a storage room, but I've been using it myself to have my own meals, so it's clean and tidy for now. It's not a space for clients properly, but may be better than having people staring at you, if it ever comes to that."

"Let's hope it doesn't," Baekhyun stated with his brows furrowed. "I moved here precisely to elude some particularly insistent… 'fans'", he made quotations marks in the air with his fingers, "so it'd be sad if I had to move again. Have I said how awesome this frappuccino is?"

"You've already paid for it, so I can't give you a discount", he teased.

Baekhyun caught himself gazing at his smile.

"No, man, I'm not trying to butter you up, I swear!" His reply was just a millisecond too late to be natural, but he hoped the older guy had not perceived it. "It's just the honest truth."

They both chortled a bit before silence ensued, and the barista eventually resumed his duties.

Baekhyun was sitting at the counter of a charming small cafe a couple of blocks away from his new apartment. There were no booths, just half a dozen or so square tables, plus some counter seats on tall stools. Due to the somewhat late hour (most people had already gone to work), there were not many customers inside: only a couple of tables behind him were taken, mostly by young workers having their morning coffee before starting their day, and none of them seemed to be paying any special attention to him.

The barista seemed to work alone. He moved around the place gracefully: washing dishes, preparing drinks, and serving snacks and sandwiches with perfect timing, never in a rush. Baekhyun felt his own anxiety decrease as he observed the man in what seemed to be his natural habitat. He supposed the guy was either very experienced, very skillful, or maybe both.

"What's your name?" Baekhyun eventually asked. The barista, who had been wiping the espresso machine (needlessly so), put down the cleaning cloth and approached him again.

"My name's Kim Minseok", he said, then looked at Baekhyun thoughtfully. "May I ask yours?"

"Only if you promise not to talk about me with anyone," he bantered, although he _was_ half-serious. Minseok jokingly raised his right hand, but then gave him his word. "My name's Byun Baekhyun," he spluttered, before his consciousness could warn him not to.

"Mind if I ask you what it is that you do?"

Baekhyun shook his head. He assumed he could trust Minseok now; if he could not, well ― he had already told him his name. "I used to be a pro-gamer, but I retired a year ago. I started a Youtube channel right afterwards though, in gaming too."

Minseok hummed in understanding. "Even in that field, you're _that_ harassed? I thought that only happened to idols or actors."

"Most people never have issues, but it sometimes happens. Modesty aside, I was pretty popular," he winked at the older man, who laughed at the gesture.

"I guess I see why". They heard the bell when the door swung open, welcoming a small group of foreigners, most likely tourists. "Well, Mr. Gamer," the barista said, "feel free to come by whenever you'd like. I may consider giving you a special discount if you become a regular."

Baekhyun chuckled as he got up and disposed of his now empty plastic cup. "I will consider that proposition. Take care."

In Baekhyun's home, Chanyeol had been waiting for him in his studio.

"Is everything set for the recording?" Baekhyun asked as soon as he stepped into the living room and Chanyeol entered his view. They had already seen each other earlier that day: as per usual, the taller boy had arrived there at 8 a.m. sharp. He had woken Baekhyun up right then, but ―also per usual― it had taken some time for him to actually get up from his bed. Instead of his regular coffee, however, that morning Baekhyun had decided to explore the neighborhood of his new apartment for breakfast. Chanyeol had remained in his house to make the standard arrangements.

"Yeah, boss," Chanyeol amusedly answered as he lay on the brown leather couch Baekhyun had placed in the smaller room that he used as a studio. "There are already about a thousand people online for your live," he announced with great satisfaction, flicking through his cellphone.

"Alright." The smaller boy stretched his neck and then his fingers, getting ready for action. At that moment, his professional attitude took hold of him; the uneasiness that had been pooling down in his stomach was replaced (temporarily at least) by a casual self-assurance. He checked if there were any pieces of strawberry stuck to his teeth on a small mirror on the shelf before proceeding to sit on his gaming chair and put his earphones on.

"You're playing LoL again today, right?" Chanyeol asked, standing up and going to the lighting gears to check for one last time if they were set up accordingly.

"Today's a Friday, so that's right."

"Who'll you choose this time?"

Baekhyun thought for a bit, the appointment he was so anxious for later that night springing to his mind. "I'm going with Ezreal again."

The two hours he had planned the live to last flew by before he realize it. He was about to start a new match when he noticed Chanyeol miming behind his large monitor, pointing at the clock on the wall with both his index fingers. Baekhyun mouthed a quiet "oh" before swiftly and skillfully changing the course of his monologue and bringing the live stream to a close.

"I _knew_ you would lose track of time again," Chanyeol said as soon as he took off his headphones. "It's been months already but you still can't get used to it."

Baekhyun supposed he had to agree. "It's just so fun, playing without actually _having_ to win, y'know". Pro-gaming was just too stressful in that regard, and he knew Chanyeol could sympathize with that. He had also been a pro-gamer himself back in the day ― and had given up much earlier than Baekhyun for precisely that reason. "How was it?"

"A lot of donations!" Chanyeol answered excitedly as he made the sign of money with his fingers. "Also, you had a shit ton of unique viewers today. Sponsors will be happy~"

The shorter boy smiled. Although happy, he felt mentally drained. "I hope none of them likes to go out to bars with live music at night," he commented. "It'd be shitty to be found out this early in my enterprise."

"Oh, right, that's today!" Chanyeol placed his hand over his mouth in surprise. "I had forgotten!"

Baekhyun eyed him expectantly; however, Chanyeol took his time to continue. He first circled Baekhyun's chair and pushed him to the side, in order to kneel in front of the computer to turn off the camera and save the video in the Cloud. They would upload it later that day, after Chanyeol had edited it and removed any elements that might demonetize his channel. "Are you nervous?"

Baekhyun rested his head on the support behind him and drew his legs up towards his chest, nesting himself comfortably on the chair. "I guess," was his tentative answer. Chanyeol was obviously not satisfied by it as he glanced at him briefly with a raised brow. Baekhyun sighed. "I think I'm just nervous someone might recognize me."

"I still don't think that would be _such_ a bad thing."

"I just want to be able to feel _satisfaction_ if I do well without a guilty conscience," Baekhyun explained for the umpteenth time. They naturally had had this conversation many times before. Chanyeol was his best friend, and had been the first person to whom he had confessed his interest in singing. As an amateur musician himself, Chanyeol could easily relate to his feelings; however, he had not quite experienced the same intense criticism that Baekhyun had lived through during his time as a celebrity ― having _every single_ aspect of his life that eventually became public scrutinized and picked apart ― because Chanyeol had ceased being a public figure much earlier. "You know how so many people came down hard on me when I started my channel, saying my streams weren't even that good and I was just reaping good results because I used to be a pro-gamer before."

"Which is not 100% false," Chanyeol pointed out, as he continued to run his commands in the computer, "but you _worked_ your ass off for many years in pro-gaming, so there's nothing wrong in having a head start afterwards."

"I can understand their frustration though," Baekhyun countered. In a way, one might say it was paradoxical for him to say so. Despite being the target of their harassment, however, Baekhyun could truly put himself in their shoes and imagine the extent of their resentment. "It must be pretty infuriating to see someone easily gain what you must work so hard to achieve. I can't blame them for that."

"That's pretty understanding of you," Chanyeol conceded, "but you could also be that understanding towards _yourself_." He turned off Baekhyun's main monitor and circled the table again, returning to the secondary screen where he usually performed his duties. "Anyway, I know it's useless for me to try to convince you, so back to the main point. I doubt there'll be anyone who knows you there. You'll be performing at a bar targeted at more mature audiences, won't you?"

"It's acoustic live music," he explained, "not a nightclub, and it doesn't play pop music either. The owner told me their audience is 25 and up ― mostly up."

"There you go. You'll be fine."

Baekhyun felt his anxiety ease a bit. Chanyeol had that effect on him, had always had, which was why it had been so difficult when he decided to retire from pro-gaming merely a couple of years after they had joined the same team. Since they were the same age, and both had started playing professionally straight after high school, they had been at it more or less for the same amount of time and were each other's greatest support.

They had been each other's support in other ways too ― but that had been a long time ago. Still, at that moment Baekhyun observed Chanyeol with fondness, thinking his long straight bangs were still the same as they had been when they were 20 years old.

"And how is _that_ going?" He asked Chanyeol with a soft voice now, still wrapping his arms around his legs.

Chanyeol did not turn to look at him face to face, but the tips of his ears grew visibly red. "It's been… quite good, actually." He was shy at first; however, touching the subject had apparently awaken some uncontrollable joy inside him, and soon he was turning on his chair while covering his face with his hands, a wide grin in view between his long fingers. "Sehun's been so nice to me. I thought he might be colder, but he's totally not. He insists on holding my hand whenever we head out… Isn't that, like, super cheesy?"

Baekhyun smiled. He knew for a fact Chanyeol was a hopeless romantic and that he must be enjoying every second of that relationship. Seeing his best friend so happy prevented Baekhyun from teasing him about it. It was just not the right moment.

"I'm glad you guys are doing well," he opted to answer instead.

Bright red up to now, Chanyeol regarded him in silence for a moment. "What about you? No one in sight yet?"

Baekhyun thought about it. "Now that you've mentioned it, today I met a _really_ cute barista."

Baekhyun looked up at the dimly lit sign above the shadowy entrance. The street behind him was somewhat crowded, with people coming and going from restaurants to bars to food stalls, but all he could hear was an indistinct buzzing sound in his ears. It had been a long time since he last sweated this much, too: no matter how many times he wiped his hands on his jeans, they would still be sticky after only a couple of minutes had passed. He was under the impression all the people leaning alongside the doorway were looking at him funny, and although he was typically not fazed by other people's unfavorable opinions of him (or, rather, he was _used_ to them), at that moment his nerves were too much on edge for him to be amused.

He glanced at both sides of the street before moving towards the door.

Once inside, it did not take him long to spot the bar's owner. They had met through the vocal coach Baekhyun had started seeing when he first had the idea of working as a singer; the coach had sent the man an audio of Baekhyun's singing and the man's reaction had been (or appeared to be) quite positive. The businessman had told him to come to the bar that Friday night, when one of the house's resident singers was scheduled to perform, so that he could watch him and see what the dynamics were like there, to judge whether he was still interested.

The owner was now standing close to the bar counter, talking to a young man who Baekhyun assumed must be a customer. Meanwhile, the boy took his time to look around and assess his surroundings. The centrality of the wooden platform stage made it feel like the two-floor venue had been built around it, the name of the bar reproduced in a large banner fixated at its back. The wood slat paneled walls, as well as the overall use of raw wood with accents of wool and similarly-textured materials, gave the house a cozy, welcoming feeling; the background music playing at that moment was an indistinct instrumental track, but Baekhyun felt like the whole ambiance gravitated towards bare, emotional genres.

There were not many people there yet, as the venue had just opened. Baekhyun could only imagine how it would feel like once the numerous tables on both floors were filled, its occupants bringing their eyes to the stage in anticipation.

He had expected the place his vocal coach recommended him for to be smaller, more adequate for a novice such as himself. Even though it was not luxurious in a strict sense, that bar was clearly frequented by people with a more refined taste. Baekhyun could feel his heart beating faster as he pictured multiple scenarios of his performance unfolding in his head, each worse than the previous one and involving all kinds of embarrassing, or rather shameful situations. What if a recording was uploaded on Youtube-

He could not indulge in such negative thoughts for long, however, as at that moment, the proprietor caught sight of him and called him over. With his legs stiff as two solid blocks of concrete, Baekhyun walked up to him, somehow managing to maintain a cool countenance despite the boiling anxiety threatening to spill over inside of him.

"You must be Hyojung's student," the owner guessed, bowing his head slightly to him. Baekhyun bowed lower, smiling nervously.

"Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you in person, sir."

"Call me Jaesuk, please. I like to think I'm younger than I actually am." He smiled. From his looks to his behavior, the man did not seem intimidating at all. Nonetheless, the situation was too new for Baekhyun to be able to relax. He glanced briefly at the guy who had been talking to Jaesuk; he was politely averting his eyes from their conversation as he sipped at his beer, his dark locks almost reaching his eyebrows.

If Baekhyun could say he preferred a more urban style when it came to clothing, that man sported a more mature look: soft wool sweater over matte green dress pants. He found it hard to tell whether he was younger or older.

Baekhyun did not give him much thought besides the once-over, however, as his attention soon went back to his perhaps future part-time employer.

"What do you think of the house?"

"It's… quite big," Baekhyun confessed, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with the sleeves of his oversized coat. Jaesuk laughed softly.

"I see you're worried. There's no need to be so. The public here is always very receptive ― right, Jongdae?" The man sitting at the counter turned to him and nodded, a tiny reassuring smile suggesting itself at the curled corners of his lips. His glistening eyes moved to the new singer. In turn, Baekhyun smiled back at him, although his anxiety made it look more forced than he originally intended. "By the way," Jaesuk continued, "I think I should introduce you two. This is Kim Jongdae, the house's singer. If everything goes right, you will see each other very often."

So that guy was the singer, not a client. Baekhyun reevaluated him in the face of that new information. He was definitely around his age ― not much older, not much younger ―, but his demeanor gave no indication of any tension, despite his upcoming performance. He was already established at that venue as their resident singer, which meant he had been doing this for some considerable time. Baekhyun wondered what his background was. How long had he been performing for? Was it his main occupation or just a side gig?

"Nice to meet you," Jongdae said, oblivious to the questions taking place in Baekhyun's mind, watching him with a friendly expression.

Baekhyun felt slightly nervous, but still managed to show the guy one of his cute rectangular smiles. "It's my pleasure."

"Well, I trust Jongdae will be able to answer any question you might have," Jaesuk spoke, looking at both of them. "I have some matters to attend to, so I'll leave you two to it. Jongdae, you're up in about 20 minutes." He assented. "Baekhyun, if you feel like it, you can perform after Jongdae today. We did not announce a second performer, so feel free to skip it if you think you're not ready yet. In case you decide to go through with my proposal, send me a message and then we can talk about your fees."

The boy concurred silently, slightly overwhelmed. After he left, Baekhyun did not quite know what to do or where to look. He peeked at the other singer for a brief second and felt his cheeks blushing when he realized Jongdae was looking at him.

"So… Hi, _sunbaenim_ ," he said humorously then, in hopes of distracting Jongdae from his evident distress. He laughed, so it worked. What a contagious laugh, by the way. "Please take good care of me~", he added cutely. Jongdae chuckled again.

"I'll try," he played along, his expression quite soft. "Jaesuk-hyung told me you were coming today, but he did not tell me your name."

Hm. When he talked with Jaesuk for the first time, he had explained to him that he did not want to perform under his true name, so as not to risk word getting around and his followers finding out about it. He had not thought about his co-workers, however. Should he reveal his identity to them and risk them slipping it out, or would it be better to include them in the deceit?

Perhaps it was better to take the safer route; he could always tell them the truth later. "My name's Lee Jiyeol," he answered, as planned ― a simple scrambling of Ezreal's name as it was spelt in Korean.

"May I ask what year you were born?"

"1992."

"Oh, so we're the same age!" Jongdae exclaimed. "I thought you were younger."

"You look younger than our age too," Baekhyun retributed.

"Thank you~", he replied, a hint of aegyo in his voice, before he laughed softly again. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Baekhyun admitted. "This is my first time performing."

"First time in Seoul?"

"No, first time _ever_ ," he stressed. Jongdae emitted an 'oh' sound.

"So being a singer is a recent decision?"

"Yeah. Not a definitive one, though. I'd say I'm here precisely to test the waters."

Jongdae nodded. Conversation flowed so effortlessly with him; Baekhyun assumed it must be since they were same-age friends. He continued, "I have another job during the day that I really enjoy, so I'd like to see how singing goes before ditching it, y'know?"

"That's the smartest choice." Jongdae knowingly agreed, taking another sip at his beer. "Having a career solely in singing can be hard."

Baekhyun already felt calmer as compared to when he first arrived, but his legs were still a bit wobbly. He went around Jongdae and sat on the stool next to him, hoping he had not noticed his nervousness. The boy offered him his beer, but Baekhyun politely refused. Even though he had often heard alcohol could help reduce tension, his stomach felt too tight.

"Do you also have another occupation?" Baekhyun asked, giving in to his curiosity.

"I'm a singing teacher during the day, mostly," Jongdae disclosed nonchalantly, "although at times I get a few gigs here and there during daytime too."

"Nice that you're able to work with music," Baekhyun remarked.

"Yes." He seemed really radiant now: there was a spark in his eyes, a joy in his voice, that had not been there before. "I cannot imagine working with anything else. Being a full-time singer would be nice too ― but to be honest, I really love teaching, so I don't mind." He looked at Baekhyun with interest, swinging the now empty beer bottle on his hand. "What is it that you do?"

"I… work in the entertainment industry," he hedged. "Producing videos and stuff like that."

"Ah, that's so cool! I could never do something like that." Jongdae frowned. "I don't get along too well with technology."

"You're being modest," Baekhyun accused him, lightly tapping his shoulder. "It's actually pretty simple. I bet you could learn in no time."

"No, I am _really_ bad, I swear!" He whined. "I don't even have SNS."

Baekhyun widened his eyes. Now _that_ was surprising.

"None?"

"Only kakaotalk".

"Not even Youtube?" He _was_ a singer, after all. Jongdae shrugged.

"For music, I usually just watch stuff on Melon."

He was honestly shocked at someone being this alienated from social media at that day and age.

"You don't even watch recordings people make of you?"

"I avoid looking at comments about my performances as much as I can," Jongdae explained, "but sometimes I end up watching something here and there when it's posted on Naver."

Baekhyun stroked his chin. "I see." That meant he, too, offered very low risks in the leaking department. What were the odds? It was his lucky day.

Their conversation came to a natural halt. Jongdae took the chance to get up and go around the bar counter and across its swing door, in order to place the empty bottle underneath. Meanwhile, Baekhyun observed him again; took his time to _really_ look at him this time; his slightly curled lips, the long lashes fluttering above his round dark eyes, his prominent cheekbones and his soft, shiny black hair; and there and then, he thought once more that he had come across yet another rather attractive man. If his speaking voice was anything to go by, he could not wait to watch him sing.

Jongdae looked at the clock on the wall and whistled.

"Only 5 minutes left before I go on stage," he announced. "If you have any questions, this is your time to ask them."

Baekhyun's eyes drifted mindlessly across the white ceiling of his room as he tried to map his feelings, too chaotic and over the place to render themselves to easy comprehension. His legs dangling from the edge of the bed were still wobbly; his palms were still sweaty. The butterflies that had been in his stomach when he arrived at the venue had escaped their cage, spreading through most of his body. His chest felt light, airy, floaty even: if somebody had told him so, he would have believed someone had stolen all his internal organs.

It was a weird, new feeling; but it was not altogether uncomfortable.

He had not actually performed. Jongdae had called him on stage without telling the audience who he was, faking a common impromptu interaction: he had asked Baekhyun a couple of questions, then prompted him to sing with him some lines from a couple of songs. Baekhyun had almost had a breakdown at first (they were singing _a cappella_! In his freaking first performance!), but Jongdae had been sensible enough to notice it and sang the lines by himself until Baekhyun reestablished control over his nerves.

In a way, it would have been okay for Baekhyun to go off-key, as the audience thought he was a simple spectator. The boy, however, felt a huge pressure from singing in front of Jongdae for the first time ― and not only in front of him, but of all the other staff members as well, who would certainly be there next week again if he were to continue performing there. Fortunately though, Jongdae picked songs that Baekhyun had rehearsed before (they had talked briefly about it before the singer got on stage), and since it was a cappella, there was no pressure to match the rhythm or flow of the background instruments. Baekhyun had managed to disguise his forgetting the lyrics as a stylistic break, and Jongdae had been polite enough not to give any indications he had perceived it, although Baekhyun was sure he had.

When they finished ― they had sung for 3, 4 minutes at most ―, the audience clapped enthusiastically. Baekhyun returned to his seat on one of the tables closest to the stage, watched the performance till the end, and then came home by himself after refusing Jongdae's offer of a ride. He needed to be by himself, to process what had happened.

He had been home for half an hour now, but he still had not been able to.

His biggest takeaway from that experience was that he _loved_ to perform. Granted, it had not been easy; he had felt terribly nervous; those hundreds of faces looking at him had been mildly (alright, _wildly_ ) scary. Despite that… Despite all that. Despite whatever anxiety he had, despite his sweaty palms, despite his wobbly legs, despite the spotlight blinding his eyes. The feeling of being on stage, of having so many people respond to what he said, to whatever gesture he made, to his voice as he sang ― he had never felt anything quite like it.

Even though people always commented during his live streams, even though he had female fans who would coo over him, who paid attention to his every move, _performing_ was a distinct experience, unlike anything else he had ever done. There was _intent_ ; since the response was immediate and audible, he could adapt his actions, his decisions, to give them _purpose_. It was a powerful feeling ― yes yes, that was the word: _power_. He had felt it, pulsating through his body, emanating from his voice.

Was that what it meant to be a singer? Having such an impact on people? If so, Baekhyun could not believe he had spent his whole life away from the stage.

He turned on the bed and began tracing the geometric patterns on the quilt with his index finger. There was something else to take away from that evening too.

Jongdae.

He felt a bit shitty now for having lied to him. Even though they hadn't talked that much, he was now completely sure Jongdae wouldn't ever spill his secrets to anyone, not even if he had happened to be a fan. That trust Baekhyun felt he could place in Jongdae was rather unexpected, but still, Baekhyun was weirdly confident it was not misplaced. If it had been anyone else, Baekhyun thought their performance would not have flowed as smoothly as it had: Jongdae had been absolutely sensitive throughout the night and at all times, paying attention to all the unspoken signs Baekhyun was giving (even the ones he had not been conscious of), not making any comments out loud that could have made Baekhyun embarrassed ― apart from complimenting him effusively at the end ―, and just overall heeding to his concerns with the utmost attention.

Not to mention he was a _snack_ , too.

Time could not pass fast enough: he wanted next Friday to come soon, wanted to go back on stage, to perform. If that meant he would get to meet Jongdae again… All the better.

"So how was it tonight? Same as always?" Minseok asked over his shoulder. He was sitting on the couch, an already opened bag of chips on his lap.

As he spoke, there came the hissing sound of Jongdae opening two cans of beer in the kitchen.

"I don't know if you remember, but that new guy, the one Jaesuk-hyung had sent me the audios from, was there today." He said as he came over, handing Minseok one of them before plopping himself down next to him.

"Oh, did he?" Jongdae nodded. "What's he like? Is he really as good as he sounded? I remember you were very impressed."

"I don't think it was ever Jaesuk-hyung's idea to have him perform today, but he still said so in front of the poor guy. I bet he just wanted to tease him, but you should have seen him ― the guy was a puddle of nerves."

Minseok raised his arm on the side that was next to Jongdae and placed it over his shoulders. Jongdae just settled into the touch, head falling slightly backwards against the soft back of the couch as Minseok's fingers softly caressed the top of his arm.

"What's his name?"

"Lee Jiyeol. Ah, and he's my age!"

"So there are still new singers trying to start a career at _that_ age?"

"Hey!" Jongdae elbowed him lightly on the side, but with no real force. "If you're saying _I'm_ old, what does that make _you_?"

If anything, Minseok thought it was worthy to tease Jongdae just so he could see that pout on his face.

"My real age doesn't matter ― a guy told me at the cafe today that I look 26." Well, 28 perhaps, but that would weaken his argument ― and he was not really lying.

Jongdae raised his eyebrows. "And how did your age become the topic of conversation?"

"Jealous, are we?"

There it was, the pout again. Minseok had to make great efforts not to kiss the hell out of him right there and then.

"Alright, never mind. I agree ― you do look younger than me." Silence followed for some seconds as they both took sips of their beers and ate a couple of chips, mindlessly watching the show on the TV.

"Are you not going to ask me about this guy?" Minseok asked eventually. It was obvious he had waited a bit to see whether Jongdae would ask on his own; he did not want to sound too eager.

Jongdae furrowed his eyebrows.

"Do you _want_ me to ask you about him?"

Minseok turned slightly towards him, bringing his arm back to his side, gesturing as he spoke.

"It's just because it's one of those situations- a guy comes into the cafe wearing oversized clothing, eyeglasses and a mask. If his intention was _not_ to look conspicuous, I'd say he accomplished the exact opposite."

"Ah, was it a celebrity?" Jongdae did not know many famous people, but he knew Minseok was into those things; he was not just about to burst his bubble. "An idol?"

"To be honest, I don't really know him, but from what he told me, he does get harassed, stalked- the whole package. He said he just moved neighborhoods to see if he can find some peace."

To himself, Jongdae hoped that that wouldn't bring Minseok any inconveniences at work. Out loud, however, he limited himself to saying something less negative. "Did you get his name?"

"He said his name is Byun Baekhyun."

⚞⚟

The club had just opened. It was still sunny outside when Baekhyun got in, at the very least a couple of hours early even for the first clients to arrive. He couldn't help it: if he had stayed any longer at home, he would have gone crazy. Besides, there was just too much food at home ― he was the type to eat when he was nervous, and he just knew his anxiety was bound to make him binge eat his entire pantry. Since he was not that fond of alcohol, a bar was a safer place for him to be.

He thought that, if there were not many people there, he could maybe practice one more time with the band when they arrived (although he had already met the musicians to practice a couple of days before). Or he could speak a bit more with all the staff, the waiters, waitresses, bartenders and cooks, get a feel for what kind of music they liked, perhaps adapt his playlist so that they could also have some fun as they worked.

As he walked inside, eyes flicking from side to side while he tried to take in what was going on ― who he could talk to ―, a familiar voice called him over.

"Jiyeol-ssi!" Baekhyun actually took a couple of seconds to react, till he remembered that was the name he had adopted here. He turned to where the voice was coming from. It was Jongdae. "Why are you here so early?"

"Jongdae-ssi," Baekhyun greeted him with a slight bow of his head. "Truth is…" Would he actually acknowledge he had gotten there that early out of sheer anxiety and fear? "I grossly miscalculated how long it would take me to get here from my house. I live much closer than I thought." If Jongdae saw through his lie, he did not show any signs. Baekhyun immediately went on, not giving Jongdae a chance to reply. "What about you? Do you usually come this early?"

"Usually, yes," he said, a friendly smile on his face. "I live kind of far, but the place I work is nearby, so it wouldn't be worth it to go home and come back again."

Baekhyun nodded. "I see."

What followed was an awkward moment of silence. Jongdae seemed to be waiting for him to say something, but ― he did not know whether because of the unexpectedness of the situation, his previous anxiety, or the nervousness of talking to a senior ― all words evaded Baekhyun's mind.

Despite the gentleness in Jongdae's eyes as he waited, the tension in Baekhyun's body grew to unbearable levels, and he was sure his face was about to explode from all the blood that had pooled in his cheeks, face and neck when Jongdae finally took the initiative, moving one step closer in Baekhyun's direction.

"I don't think we had time to look at the staff rooms when you came last week. Would you like to take a look?"

In the end, they spent the whole time till the start of the performances together. Jongdae walked Baekhyun around the staff restricted spaces, showed him the dressing rooms and where the bathrooms were, and then introduced him to some of the people who weren't that busy. When the musicians arrived some two hours later, they took half an hour going over the songs Baekhyun had chosen to perform (Jongdae's setlist was already familiar to them), but even after that there was still over an hour left before the singers would go up on stage.

Baekhyun lay down on the couch in one of the dressing rooms while Jongdae was sitting in an armchair browsing his phone. He would smile from time to time, but was otherwise rather concentrated on whatever it was he was doing.

Baekhyun observed him quietly. Once again, he had on a more conservative choice of clothing (dress pants and a plain blazer over a white shirt), but it made more sense now considering he came straight from work. Baekhyun had tried to match the environment a bit more that day, but his choice of a somewhat oversized white blazer still stood out more than he thought.

He wondered what Jongdae thought of him; what his impression had been both last week and this time now. Jongdae had expressed both that first time and during their rehearsals that day that he liked his voice, and approved of his setlist choices; then again, he could have done that simply out of politeness. Baekhyun had complimented him too. He knew his own opinion was sincere, but what did Jongdae think of it? Did he think Baekhyun was being honest or just doing some traditional workplace ass-kissing?

He sighed, covering his eyes with his hands. He had never been one to worry too much about those things, but _that_ ― that really was his dream, to be a singer. Everything suddenly became so much more important than before. First impressions, any impressions, held so much more weight than before. What if…

"Are you okay?" A voice sounded from the other corner, mellow with concern.

Baekhyun dropped his arms to his sides, opening his eyes to see Jongdae with the hand holding his cellphone dropped to his lap while he stared at Baekhyun, his eyebrows furrowed in diagonals that perfectly depicted his worry. He felt his chest lighten a little, the kind of feeling one gets when they realize there is someone taking care of them. Like a lost puppy that has just been approached by a friendly stranger on the street, Baekhyun's metaphorical ears drooped low as he returned Jongdae's gaze, looking forward to the metaphorical pat on his head.

"To be honest… I've never felt this anxious before. What if I screw up?"

Jongdae gave him a small, reassuring smile.

"If you do, you do. That's not the most important thing. What’s most important is that you've taken the first steps, that you’ve tried."

"I get you, in a way…" Baekhyun looked back to the ceiling. "But to be honest, aren't first impressions important? If I mess up now, it'll just be that much harder to get put back in the circuit. Nobody's going to trust me as a performer."

The other singer was quiet for a while ― not that long a time, but enough for Baekhyun to get curious and look back in his direction. Jongdae was scratching his chin, visibly in thought.

Like he was carefully considering what he was about to say, each word came out slow and heavy. "I was going to say you put way too much pressure on yourself, but… Now I feel the problem is rather your unrealistic expectations of everyone else." Baekhyun was startled. Jongdae turned his eyes back to him, his expressive brows now showing compassion. "Do you truly think no other singer has ever made any mistake at the beginning of their careers?"

"That's- that's not what I meant…" Baekhyun scrambled to reply, realizing too late that what he said was indeed kind of stupid. Was he being too conceited? Was it the case that his antis were right ― that he subconsciously wanted to use his pre-existing popularity platform to shoot straight to the top and was not actually willing to go through the harshness of new beginnings? Was his perfectionism just a fancy word for him being spoiled?

Jongdae got up, putting away his cellphone in his pocket as he walked over. Baekhyun had gotten up and sat on the couch as he saw him approaching, giving Jongdae space to sit by his side. The senior placed a hand on Baekhyun's shoulder, his fingers squeezing him lightly.

"You don't have to apologize," he started, dark eyes melting with understanding. "I'm sorry life so far has not given you room to make mistakes, Jiyeol-ssi, but believe me- there is plenty. I know I made my fair share." He smiled. "Don't worry so much. You're going to do great. And even if you don't _today_ , there is always next week. Or the next. Or the next. Ok?"

With Jongdae's hand still on his shoulder, Baekhyun felt his sight get a little blurry. He looked away, but nodded.

"Ok."

Sitting once again at the counter of the café close to his new apartment, Baekhyun sipped happily at his iced americano.

"Kim Minseok-ssi, you truly have the hands of an angel," he chirped. "This coffee is the best!"

Minseok laughed. The way his gums showed, his monolid eyes turned into crescents… Baekhyun thought he looked very, very nice.

"It truly tastes great," Baekhyun emphasized again, not even removing the straw from his mouth. "I don't know how you can make even a simple iced americano taste this good." This time the barista did not react to his compliments, apart from keeping a smile plastered on his face.

On that tall chair, Baekhyun's legs did not touch the ground; he kept swinging them back and forth as he sipped his drink. Minseok could not really see them from behind the counter, but he could see the remnants of the movement rippling through Baekhyun's upper body, as well as his pleased expression.

"You seem to be in a rather good mood today, Baekhyun-ssi. Did anything good happen?"

"Yes!" was his instant, instinctive reply. Only then he thought Minseok was most likely going to ask him what it was, and he was not sure how to explain it without giving too much away.

He had been to the café over the weekend; at that time, however, most likely his feelings still didn’t show on his face, as he hadn’t had enough time to process them. He and Minseok had had a pleasant conversation, but they had not revealed too much information about themselves; somehow, they were able to talk at length about unimportant and ―most importantly― impersonal topics. Therefore, he had not really mentioned he had performed last Friday night, much less his plans of becoming a singer and what else.

At that moment, then, he had to consider what he should say, or not say, when Minseok followed up in his inquiry. The barista already knew he was a (ex-)gamer and a youtuber; would it really be a good idea to let him know about his singing enterprise as well?

Then again, precisely _because_ he knew about his background, wouldn't it just be pointless to keep anything from him? He already had enough knowledge to make Baekhyun's life difficult if he wanted to. Nevertheless, no fans had showed up by his building so far, and no fans had ambushed him at the café or anywhere in the surrounding area. If anything, that was to show Minseok had definitely not spilled any tea around…

Baekhyun looked at Minseok, bracing himself for the unavoidable question. As seconds, then minutes, passed, however, he realized something was… wrong?

Unable to control his curiosity any longer, he ended up asking a question himself. "Are you not going to ask me what it is?"

"If you wanted to say it, you would've said it without me asking," Minseok explained. "But you didn't continue, so I understand this is a private matter. Don't worry, I'm not going to pry."

Despite his previous concerns, Baekhyun's lips immediately pursed into a pout. There was something… _Frustrating_ , even, about Minseok's respectfulness towards his privacy. Couldn't he just be a little bit more interested? Baekhyun had truly thought he would never have those thoughts, but… Couldn't he be just a little more invasive?! Wasn't curiosity an intrinsic human quality?!

Why was he even that bothered?!

"Kim Minseok-ssi, please come closer," he urged, leaving his more complex thoughts for later. The barista quirked an eyebrow, but bent over the counter without questioning. "I had my first performance last Friday."

"Performance? Of what?"

He excitedly whispered, "as a singer!"

"Oh," Minseok seemed surprised. "You sing?"

"I do. I mean, not professionally- I've just started. Last Friday was the first time I performed as a professional."

"Congratulations!" Minseok clapped, the towel on one of his hands muffling the sound. "You really are an all-rounder celebrity, aren't you?"

Baekhyun beamed. "I'm terrible at dancing though!"

"I bet you would do great if you practiced a bit," he teased. "But anyway, your performance. Considering your good mood… I assume everything worked out all right?”

He halted again as he considered how he should reply.

Recalling the events from that night, he could not say with honesty everything had flowed smoothly.

Jongdae had been generally successful in calming his nerves. When the time came for him to go up on the stage (he would start the performance; the most veteran singer, aka Jongdae, would close the night, as per tradition), he found he could move his body rather naturally, despite the turmoil convulsing inside him. They had adjusted the mic’s height beforehand, so all he had to do was walk to the center of the stage and stand in front of it while Jaesuk (Baekhyun had talked to him at some point while he waited) introduced him.

The musicians started playing right away; without any time to think, Baekhyun simply followed their lead mindlessly, which turned out to have been a great strategy. The first five songs proceeded seamlessly this way ― one after another, without any pauses between them, the musicians skillfully connecting the last chords of one song to the starting ones of the next.

Baekhyun kept his eyes either closed or looking down. It was mostly due to his nervousness, but because of the somewhat sensual theme he had picked for his setlist that night, he was able to pass it off as intentional, as his hands held to the microphone or stroked the mic stand for additional effect.

Everything was, therefore, progressing well… Until his first ment.

He could not avoid it anymore: his eyes looked up, adjusting to the bright spotlights. He could not see the faces of the people in the balcony, but he could see their silhouette ― a multitude of indistinguishable shapes filling the entire upper floor, their blurred faces directed towards him. He could see the people on his own level a little better; he soon realized, however, that was not necessarily an advantage. Although some of them seemed to be observing him with sympathy, there were also a lot of people with their backs to the stage, more engaged in drinking and talking than in his performance. Not only that, but a few were looking to him _and_ whispering to each other.

It could well be that they did not want to disturb others around him, but a voice in the back of Baekhyun’s mind swiftly suggested: what if they were making fun of him?

The silence on the stage around him reminded him that it was his turn to say something. After clearing his throat, he managed to utter a few words: he thanked them for their attention, and apologized for his inexperience. He had said something else, too (a joke?), but he couldn’t remember anymore. There was a timid round of applause, and then the musicians started right back from where they had last stopped.

Baekhyun felt his heart pulsing in his throat. The sweat on his palms became all too noticeable when he held the microphone. He experimented opening his mouth, only to feel his throat as dry as a desert. Would any voice come out of him?

As the song went on, a worse realization dawned on him.

…What were the lyrics again?

When he missed the cue for the first line, the musicians pretended nothing happened and adapted the next chord to go back to the beginning of the song. Anyone unfamiliar with music would think that was just a rather long introduction; since the musicians were especially skilled though, it might be just a way for them to showcase their abilities. Baekhyun looked back at them with a panicked face. The keyboard player gave him a look that could only say one thing: _get your act together!_

Nevertheless, the words just wouldn’t come to his mind. He could not believe this was happening… He had rehearsed these songs a thousand times! Yet, the more he worried, the more he felt cold sweat covering his skin, the drier his throat seemed to become, the more the lights on the stage blinded his eyes. He felt dizzy, as if the stage was spinning around him. Somewhere far, far away, he could hear the music playing on, nearing once more the cue where he was supposed to start…

What could he do-

“ _If you feel it’s a burden, that all my senses are focused only on you…_ ”

He looked to the side, somewhat startled. There stood Jongdae, another mic in hand, eyes closed as he sang beside him, just a few steps away. Baekhyun blinked, slowly processing what had just happened. Jongdae had been sitting by the stage since the beginning…

 _Ah_. His heartbeat slowly went back to its normal pace. Someone touched his calf (Jaesuk!) and offered him a bottle of water. He took a sip just as Jongdae was reaching the end of the first stanza.

Jongdae looked at him, face completely taken by the emotions from the song, but still his eyes expressed the question clearly.

Baekhyun put the bottle away and held the mic again, this time looking at Jongdae just as the second stanza was about to start.

This time, the words came to his mind effortlessly.

They took turns like that till the end, except for the last chorus when they sang together. They hadn’t practiced together at all: he had listened to Jongdae, Jongdae had listened to him, but never had they attempted to sing together, to mesh their voices, hear how they would blend. When they sang “together” the week before, each had sung different parts.

Yet, they managed to sound amazing together. Baekhyun did not attribute it to luck, but rather to Jongdae’s abilities. He had allowed Baekhyun’s voice to be on the foreground, and adapted his own voice accordingly to support him best; where appropriate, he had included some adlibs, and prompted Baekhyun to follow.

They sang yet another song together after the first. Jongdae delivered a quick ment when they finished, indirectly stating they had prepared that collaboration beforehand.

Except for Jaesuk (and, of course, the musicians), Baekhyun believed no one else doubted him.

From then on, Baekhyun was able to finish the last songs on his own ― with Jongdae watching him from the table closest to the stage, a supportive smile on his face whenever Baekhyun looked over.

Everything considered, then, he could say it had been a successful (if not an uneventful) first performance.

Minseok did not strike him as the judgmental type, and Baekhyun was not embarrassed to acknowledge his faults; however, they were not that intimate ( _yet_ ), and he would be lying if he said he did not want to impress Minseok. He seemed to have been rather interested when he mentioned singing after all…

“Not bragging, but I think it was great for a first performance,” he declared (bragging nonetheless).

"Were you the only artist for the night?"

"No. As I was the newcomer though, I opened the show."

The barista's lips shaped into a circle as he murmured an interjection. "That must have been nerve-wrecking."

Baekhyun's poker face was spotless. "To be honest, I've been through far worse in my career."

On the other side of the counter, Minseok smiled. "Piece of cake, then?"

"I wouldn't go _that_ far, but..." he winked, "sure."

It was dark.

Jongdae lay on his stomach, his stark naked body making only the softest contrast with the spoiled white sheets under and around him. Still not completely recovered from his high, Minseok lay on his side next to him, his left index finger lightly tracing the line of his boyfriend's spine. Jongdae had his face buried in his pillow, but soon moved it sideward to breathe.

"...Don't want to get up," he mumbled. He didn't really have any expectations, but he had never given up in all the time they had been together. Perhaps today was the day Minseok would finally give in?

Minseok bent over, kissing his hair lightly. "Baby, you know we have to change the sheets."

Well, still not Jongdae's lucky day.

"Can we rest a bit longer then? I don't think I'll able to stand up just yet," Jongdae pleaded, turning his head towards Minseok's side to give him his best sad kitty face.

Minseok bent over and kissed him again, this time on one of his eyes.

"Don't think I won't wake you up if you fall asleep."

"I know~" he whined. Not like he hadn't tried that before. "But then talk to me. It's really too easy to fall asleep like this."

Minseok trailed his finger along Jongdae's vertebrae one last time before he scrambled up the bed, resting against the headboard. It was really too funny for him how Jongdae's stamina would deplete completely every time they had sex. He was tired, of course, but overall still a functional human if he needed to be. For Jongdae, however, coming was like lighting a match: once it was done, he was thoroughly spent.

Fortunately, he was actually a box full of matches ― it just took some time before he could light a new one again.

"Ah! there's something I want to ask you."

That piqued Jongdae's interest, although not enough for him to open his eyes. "What is it?"

"What's the name of that new boy whom Jaesuk hired?"

"Hm, you mean Lee Jiyeol?"

"Ah." It was indeed what Minseok remembered.

Jongdae thought his reaction was rather curious. "Was that disappointment?"

"Not really..." he looked out the window, through the flowy voile curtains. "There's a guy who has been coming to my café lately, I think I mentioned him to you? The celebrity. He mentioned today something about performing on Friday. I thought it was a weird coincidence, since you mentioned that Jiyeol guy also performed for the first time that day."

Jongdae was already less interested. In his mind, the matter was settled. "Not like there are few venues around the city," he pointed out, "and there really are a lot of people trying their chances as singers. Besides, if this celebrity guy covers himself up just to go to a café, would he really go all out and even perform openly at a bar?"

Minseok had to admit, that was a good point. He could imagine a few scenarios were that would make sense, but still... It was a huge risk to take.

"I'm not saying it is _definitely_ him, but I don't know... It just felt like a huge coincidence."

Feeling drowsiness wash over him like waves on the beach sand, Jongdae tried to give the issue a bit more consideration. No matter how he saw it, he found it extremely unlikely that a celebrity who kept a low profile would be willing to go up stage at a bar. Besides, Lee Jiyeol did not sound like an artistic name at all. If that Baekhyun guy wanted to use an alias, being a celebrity, he would certainly have been able to come up with something better. Was there anything else he had said that could give them a hint?

Thinking had become as hard as walking on mud at that point; still, he searched his memory for any piece of useful information.

"Ah, I know," he uttered sluggishly. "On Friday, he arrived very early because he lives relatively close to the bar. Has that Baekhyun ever mentioned where he lives?"

"Yes, he's from our neighborhood. That's why he came to my café in the first place." He frowned. "So it really seems like it is not the same person. That club is so far from here."

With the matter solved, both of them sank into a comfortable silence.

Making his first steps into the lands of dreaming, Jongdae thought he had finally earned a restful night without the need of doing laundry or washing himself thoroughly when a finger poked at his cheek. Like a fish that had been hooked, he felt himself be pulled from the ocean, back to the cold, heavy reality.

"Come on. Time to take a shower."

⚞⚟

Minseok was cleaning the milk steamer when he saw his only celebrity client (that he knew of) walk in.

"Strawberry frappuccino?" He asked when Baekhyun got closer, but then quickly amended, "no... Iced Americano? With extra ice?"

Baekhyun smiled and pushed down his mask, sitting at the counter. "You know me so well, Hyung."

The barista chuckled as he poured the coffee shots into the large plastic cup and added a squeeze of vanilla essence for aroma. That was not typically included in the drink, but he knew Baekhyun liked it. He had experimented adding it for the first time some three months ago, a couple of weeks after they had first met; Baekhyun's eyes had widened after he took the first sip and immediately asked what Minseok had added to his drink. Since then, the barista would always add it every time Baekhyun ordered an Americano.

"The café is kind of slow today," Baekhyun remarked before he sipped his drink and sighed happily. There was no need to give any compliments out loud; by now Minseok had already grown used to them. Besides, Baekhyun's blissful face as he drank was enough to convey his feelings.

"I think that must be because today's a holiday. People tend to sleep in, don't they?"

"I guess." He frowned as he looked at the ice cubes floating lazily on the black surface inside his cup. "I used to love holidays back in school. Now they don't affect my schedule at all, so I didn't even remember. Makes me feel kind of nostalgic."

"To be honest, I wouldn't have remembered it either if I didn't have someone close whose schedule is affected," Minseok concurred. "In the food business we only close for the biggest holidays."

Cupping the cold drink, Baekhyun had to make a huge effort to hold in his curiosity about who said close person was. He twirled his straw, his eyes gazing at the previously stagnant ice cubes now being forced against one another, some of the bottom ones emerging as they exchanged places. It had been over three months now. He came to the café at least twice a week, more whenever he could. Yet, he still did not know whether Minseok was dating anyone.

Heck, he wasn't even able to find out what his sexual orientation was.

Minseok circled the counter and sat at one of the tables next to the glass walls. "I bet no one besides you will come by at this hour," he explained as he called Baekhyun over, "Come sit over here."

That was nothing unusual: sometimes, Baekhyun would come at times there were few to no other clients (most often too late at night rather than too early in the morning though) and Minseok would sit with him to chat. He had just been thinking about Minseok's relationship status, however, so it was inevitable for his mind to drift away, outlining said invitation with colorful lines of its own. Those thoughts lasted only for a split second, but it was enough for his cheeks to turn a slight shade of pink and for his heart to throb lightly in his chest.

He got up and walked over as if nothing had happened, hoping the barista would not notice.

Baekhyun did not know why, but he felt as if Minseok always noticed.

It was not as if Baekhyun had been just passively trying to gather enough information before making his move. After a month or so, he figured he should try flirting more openly. If Minseok was dating, or if he was not into men, then surely he would say something to steer him away before any damage was done. Of course, Baekhyun could not be that direct about it either, since Minseok knew his identity. He did not think the barista would ever gossip about him out of ill-intent, but accidents happen, information leaks, and even though he was not a celebrity who relied that much on the media anymore, it would be problematic if people found out he was gay, as a large part of his fans were male and most likely prejudiced.

He had, therefore, been trying to walk the thin line between friendship and flirting; making some ambiguous statements, giving slightly over-the-top compliments, being a little more physically affectionate than usual.

After two months of effort, however, he mostly felt frustrated.

It was not that he was shy or felt intimidated. At this point, he was not even afraid of any consequences anymore either. It was just that Minseok would give him no openings at all. Everything he did was received with no special reaction, be it words or touches or looks. Minseok never said anything, never acknowledged his flirting; he didn't refuse or welcome his advances, more like he was entirely indifferent to them. Baekhyun was sure most people would be uncomfortable with the way he was acting, so it was not the case that Minseok was simply unaware of what he was doing. He did not look like the oblivious type at all.

There was something more to it, but what exactly, Baekhyun couldn't say.

"Your hair's grown longer," Minseok commented. Some time had passed since they sat together, but as Baekhyun had been deep in thought, he was a bit startled. "It's almost covering your eyes. Doesn't it bother you?"

"To be honest, I kind of like it like this," Baekhyun replied, taking a lock of his bangs between his fingers. "Doesn't it make me look younger too?"

"It does give off a very youthful aura," he agreed, "and it suits you."

Minseok had been talking to Baekhyun with both arms on the table, his chin resting on one of his hands, his head slightly tilted to the side. His feline eyes were unreadable as always. Just as Baekhyun felt his heartbeat speed up from his offhand compliment (if he could even call it that), Minseok's face turned to the other side, to the glass walls, gazing at the empty street.

"I know someone who can't stand long bangs," the barista added, "like, really can't stand them. This person would rather look like an acorn than have hair like yours." He chuckled, then looked back at Baekhyun, sporting a playful smile on his face. "I wonder what you'd look like with that kind of hairstyle. I feel like with your face, Baekhyun-ah, you could pull it off too."

Baekhyun's face got warmer, but now he was not worried as much: the blush had never left his face to begin with, so there was no change for Minseok to notice this time. _Ah, I'm such an idiot_. Getting flustered about something like that... Very likely Minseok was just teasing him, too...

And there it was... That "person" again.

"I don't think I have the confidence for that kind of modern hairstyles," Baekhyun managed to reply eventually, with a calm voice that did not at all reflect how he was feeling on the inside. "This friend of yours must have some guts."

"You can call it for what it is: questionable taste," he laughed. Baekhyun's eyes were drawn to his thin lips stretching towards his cheeks, the strip of his gums showing below his upper lip rosy and glossy. His laugh lasted too short; Baekhyun thought he could've continued staring at Minseok's mouth for the whole afternoon... Even if he weren't laughing. "But he's just like you. To me, I feel like out of all the people I know, you two can pull off these weird fashion trends the best."

Could that be considered flirting? Or was Minseok just being nice? Baekhyun did not know what to think anymore. He had planned on walking the line between flirting and friendship with Minseok, but it was only now he understood what that must feel like when you are the one on the receiving end. Not that he was sure Minseok was flirting, but― Well, wasn't that precisely the point?

If that was what the barista was doing... He was truly a professional. Baekhyun's early efforts could only pale in comparison.

Baekhyun lowered his eyes to his drink, taking another sip.

"Do you like them, Hyung?"

"Huh?"

"Fashionable people. Do you prefer that to more common looks?"

With a soft laugh, Minseok leaned back on his chair and folded his arms. "How should I say this..."

He hesitated, so Baekhyun forced himself to look up. Minseok was looking at him and returned his shy gaze with unswerving assurance. Once more, however, Baekhyun could not tell what those feline eyes were telling him; was that steadfastness meant for him, was that intensity directed at him, or was it just a reflection of Minseok's own inner resoluteness?

"People who are not afraid to be themselves, be that dressing in runaway outfits or gym wear from head to toe... As long as it is clean," he pointed out, one of his index fingers raised in the air, "those are the people I like the most. Even if they wear something as ugly as furry slippers".

 _Ba-dump_. As Baekhyun remembered the Gucci shoes he had worn the week before to the café (...Chanyeol had said they looked ok! He did!), he felt blood rushing to his face again. He should just color his face with red blush ― no, never mind, he should go straight to using red watercolor paint! ― before coming there, instead of subjecting himself to such ridicule as worrying about blushing at everything Minseok said.

Was that all flirting? Or was Minseok just a very good friend?

In one case or another... What was he supposed to do?!

Jongdae laughed quietly on the couch.

The soft sound echoed in the small room. Baekhyun perked his ears up like a dog, interested. He stood up from the armchair where he had been half sitting, half lying down on the other side of the room and walked over, plopping himself down next to his senior.

"What're you laughing at?" He said as he bent over, peeking at Jongdae's phone.

One of his arms fell naturally around Jongdae's shoulders. With a smile still lingering on his lips, Jongdae turned his cellphone towards Baekhyun, showing him a comic strip of two dogs with silly expressions.

"This webtoon― Have you ever read it? It's really cute."

"No, I haven't~" Baekhyun moved the comic strip up and down to try to get a general idea. "What is it about?"

"A couple who has two dogs and two cats." Baekhyun kept staring deadpan at him, so he chuckled again. "I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but it's very fun. I recommend it if you're ever feeling bored, Jiyeol-ah." His eyes turned back from the crescents they had transformed into as his laughing was also replaced by a softer smile. "Having pets must be nice."

"You never had any, Jongdae-yah?"

"Nope. My mom's allergic~" He pouted slightly, sticking out his lower lip forward like a kid. Baekhyun held in the urge to bite it. "What about you?"

"I used to have a dog― Well, 'used' because my parents kept it after I moved out. Do you know dog breeds?" Jongdae nodded. "He's a corgi, he's very very cute~ Look look, I have pictures!" He took his cellphone from his pocket and didn't need to search much before he found a picture of a fluffy furry orange-and-white-colored bottom. He felt encouraged to keep flicking from one photo to the next as Jongdae continuously cooed next to him, evidently enjoying the impromptu slideshow. "His name's Mongryong," he told Jongdae, feeling almost like a proud parent ― but then frowned. "Ah, I kind of miss him now..."

"He's really cute, Jiyeol-ah." Baekhyun nodded sadly, taking one last look at the pictures before putting his cellphone away. "So would you say you're more of a dog person?"

"You mean, between dogs and cats?"

"Yeah. I've been thinking about that since I've started reading this webtoon. I don't know which I prefer myself, to be honest. Both cats and dogs are so cute..."

If it were before, Baekhyun wouldn't have hesitated in answering. He had always been a dog person ― had dogs as pets, had friends and boyfriends with dog-like personalities, was even always identified as a dog by his fans himself. Yet, if he were to think about it now... Although Chanyeol was his best friend and was pretty much the human version of a labrador, wasn't his mind full with Minseok and Jongdae these days? Besides work, going to the café during the week and to the bar on Fridays was all Baekhyun could think about.

And these two ― weren't they both very similar to cats?

Minseok was almost the textbook definition of a cat-like person: even his features were similar to a cat's. Jongdae was different; in a way, Baekhyun could understand that some people might think of him as dog-like. For someone who knew Chanyeol though, the difference was just too great. Neither Minseok nor Jongdae were as energetic, and they were definitely more reserved. Although Jongdae could be loud at times, he was generally a quiet person who only revealed his excitement in small gestures. If he were to make a comparison, Minseok would be a noble pedigree cat, the kind that owns its owners instead ― not necessarily aloof, but the kind that allows others to pet him only when _he_ wants to ―, whereas Jongdae would be a street cat, friendly and easily approachable ― the kind that would purr for anyone who was nice to him.

In one case or another, Baekhyun faced the same dilemma. With Minseok, it was hard to tell whether the barista regarded him as special in any way; there seemed to be a barrier in their relationship Baekhyun simply couldn't overcome. Jongdae, on the other hand, was always the nicest to him ― but was that niceness any different than the way he behaved towards everyone else?

"...I think I've been into cats lately," he eventually answered, suddenly aware of the arm he still held around Jongdae's shoulders.

Jongdae looked up from his phone when Baekhyun spoke, and was apparently surprised by how close Baekhyun's face was to his when he looked to the side. Baekhyun felt Jongdae's shoulders stiffen a bit before the singer shuffled forward on the couch and stood up. Despite the tension, when he spoke again, there was nothing unusual in his voice or demeanor. Had he imagined it all?

"The problem with cats is all the fur... Imagine how often you'd have to clean the house to not have cat hair all around your clothes. I'm too lazy for that." He yawned and stretched his arms up. Baekhyun caught a glimpse of a stretch of skin over the waistband of his bands. _Damn_. Jongdae always wore somewhat oversized shirts and pullovers, but his waist was actually that small, huh...

"Well, that's a fair point." Baekhyun got up too.

"On the other hand, cats are more independent," Jongdae continued, illustrating the pros and cons with his fingers. "Dogs need a lot of affection."

"But they tend to be a lot more affectionate too. They never run out of love to give."

"They usually have a favorite amongst their owners though, don't they?"

Baekhyun scratched the underside of his nose. "Not all dogs. Mongryong treated everyone the same."

Truth be told, Mongryong did have a slight preference for his mother. In Baekhyun's opinion though, she simply had an unfair advantage, since there was no one else who spent nearly as much time with him as she did. In Mongryong's defense, even in these very unfavorable conditions, he managed to stay rather neutral in terms of his affections towards everyone in the household, which was a sign of his loyalty in itself.

That reminded him of his neighbors' dogs, Meokmul and Huchu. The couple next door had a hectic routine, so Baekhyun would seldom see either them or the dogs. The husband was an actor; he spent most of the time traveling, and would stay home a couple of days a week without ever leaving the house ― Baekhyun figured he just wanted to soak in his home as much as he could. The wife, on the other hand, also worked in the entertainment industry, but within the city: she would spend most of the day outside, but would still go home every day, even if very late at night.

Since it was a common consensus that dogs grow more attached to people they spend more time with, who did those two dogs preferred back then, he wondered: the man whom they were in contact only a couple of days a week, but devoted much of his attention to them then, or the woman whom they saw every day, but could only give them a fraction of her time?

He was under the impression each dog had a different favorite person; but then again, that had been a long time ago, and he couldn't be sure anymore.

"Mongryong really seems to be a good boy." Jongdae approached a paper that had been posted next to the door ― their setlist for that night, including all the songs each of them had decided to perform. "You have to introduce me to him some time."

"If my parents ever come watch, I'll ask them to bring him with them," he half-promised without much thought, butterflies fluttering in his stomach when Jongdae's answer was a soft chuckle followed by his warmest smile. He moved closer unconsciously, partly wishing to look over the other's shoulder to see what he was looking at, partly, well ― he would gladly envelop Jongdae's body with his own if he could.

As they were almost the same height, however, being that close to each other, there was no other way for Baekhyun to be able to look at whatever was in front of Jongdae than him resting his chin on Jongdae's shoulder.

He congratulated himself for keeping his hands inside his pockets instead of surrendering to the urge of wrapping his arms around Jongdae's waist.

"What are you looking at?" He managed to ask rather nonchalantly.

Baekhyun was painfully aware of how close his mouth was to Jongdae's neck. The other could most likely even feel the puffs of air as he spoke.

"Your setlist." Jongdae replied in his usual tone. Since this time there was no visible reaction, Baekhyun felt a bit disappointed. Had he perhaps really imagined Jongdae's tensing up before? "Why did you include this song? It doesn't seem to match the feeling from your other picks."

"I can't believe you don't remember, Jongdae-yah~"

"What?" He seemed surprised. "Does it have anything to do with me?"

"Yes. It's the first song we sang together. Today makes it exactly four months since I came here for the first time." He pouted playfully. "But apparently our friendship is one-sided..."

This time he managed to fluster Jongdae. The experienced singer turned around sharply, eyes widening as he stared at Baekhyun with a pained expression. "No, Jiyeol-ah! Don't― That's― I hope you don't truly think like that..."

He hadn't really expected Jongdae to take him that seriously ― wasn't it obvious it was just some good-humored banter? ―, so he was not too sure how to react. To be quite honest, that had been just a common work day for Jongdae and everyone else in the bar; it was only for him that that date held a special meaning, since it was the first time he had stepped on stage to sing. It was natural that he should remember it, but there was no sense in expecting Jongdae to keep track of that date.

He stared at Jongdae with a serious expression for a couple of seconds. He could see Jongdae's uneasiness growing roots in his eyes and face, deepening the creases in his furrowed brows, until he finally could not take it anymore and chortled, at the same time placing each of his hands on one of Jongdae's shoulders.

"It's fine, it's fine, I was just joking." Jongdae was truly too naïve at times. Too easy to fool.

Baekhyun watched as the other's expression softened, although his eyes for some reason still looked troubled as they gazed back at Baekhyun. They were practically the same height ― but in that position, with Jongdae's back against the wall and his hands on each of his shoulders, Baekhyun almost felt like he was towering over his senior. Maybe it was because he was much broader; maybe, it was because Jongdae just exuded a docile (one could say 'tiny') energy. He was not too sure.

All he knew was that, for a moment, as he stared at Jongdae's eyes, Baekhyun felt like he could devour him.

"We're..." he tightened his grip on Jongdae just the slightest, "...good friends."

A hand suddenly patted him lightly on his side; Baekhyun had been looking at Jongdae's face too intently and did not see him moving, so he jerked a bit at the touch.

Jongdae laughed as he disentangled himself from Baekhyun's arms and opened the door.

"Yeah yeah, we're good friends. So how about this good friend treats you to a drink to celebrate your 4-month anniversary before we go up on stage?"

Jongdae was really happy to have made a new friend.

Even though he had been performing for years now, the last time he had had artist friends was still in college. University had been his golden years in that sense: he had sung in a band for some time, joined the university's choir, even participated in a musical by the drama club once, not to mention his classmates from the Department of Performing Arts ― Junmyeon, Sunyoung, Junsu, and so many others.

After graduating, he had kept contact with them for some time; but, as they all pursued different paths and went their own ways, their friendship gradually faded. Some moved to distant parts of the country ― some moved abroad; some got married, some had children - some were already divorced; some managed to become successful artists, some became office workers ― some were able to find a career halfway between these extremes, like Jongdae.

He supposed not having SNS made it harder for both him and his classmates to keep in touch with each other, but he still put some effort into exchanging texts with them from time to time. He was simply not the kind of person who chased after others though, or towards those whom people tended to gravitate to. It was, rather, the opposite: he was a rock, an asteroid or a comet or a planet at best, who needed a bright star to attract him and keep him close.

Since he had Minseok, he had not been working too hard in the friendship field. Although that was not an uncommon trait of people who have met their significant other, it did not mean he didn't miss having close friends ― and even more so, friends who shared the same kind of passion with him. Music. Singing.

And then, Jiyeol happened.

Jongdae had never, ever in his life hit it off so easily with anyone as he had with Jiyeol (not even with Minseok ― but he was not about to tell him). Not only did their conversations flow smoothly, they shared the same taste and dispositions towards most things. Even though Jiyeol preferred to perform slow-paced, R&B tracks, when it came to the music he listened to, many of their favorite artists overlapped; they both were not huge fans of coffee, but enjoyed drinking Americano; and even their sense of humor really matched: Jongdae found anything Jiyeol did incredibly funny and gave him the best reactions he could have hoped for, even for his lamest jokes.

They had not known each other for long, and yet Jongdae was sure that (especially after having lost touch with so many people who were once dear to him) this was a friendship he wanted to protect.

Hence, he felt conflicted whenever weird feelings popped up in his chest.

Jongdae supposed he could not help it, being gay and all: it was just natural for him to be a bit more sensitive whenever Jiyeol touched him or was close to him. He had already undergone similar experiences with some of his straight friends in the past. It was a matter of keeping his mind in the right place; of remembering that these touches meant completely distinct things for them and for him, were he the one to initiate them. After all, skinship between men was not a rare sight in South Korea.

Still, he died inside a little bit when his body reacted to Jiyeol being close to him or touching him. First, because he felt guilty regarding Minseok, even though he could not control it; second, because he felt he was defiling Jiyeol's genuine friendship with him whenever sexual thoughts crossed his mind at some of the other's actions.

If Jiyeol knew what kind of things he sometimes thought when they were physically close, Jongdae was certain he would feel awkward ― perhaps even offended. Making Jiyeol self-conscious about his perfectly friendly actions was the last thing he wanted, and so he decided: he had to get it together, to keep all these perverted feelings away (for both Jiyeol's and Minseok's sakes!), to give their newborn friendship a true chance to bloom.

He had been trying his hardest to keep himself under control, to react normally, so that Jiyeol felt comfortable to be around him.

It was always the hardest during those late Friday afternoon hours. They both arrived early, way too early, before most of the staff. Those hours when it was just the two of them in the back rooms... The worst.

And the best.

"You have a really big Adam's apple, don't you?"

Jongdae put down the water bottle. "Huh?"

"Your Adam's apple", Jiyeol gestured towards his neck, "it's so big."

"Ah, yeah." Jongdae wasn't really aware of it when he looked at the mirror, since he was used to, well, himself. "I get told that a lot."

He was still holding the bottle; he wanted to drink more, and had just stopped because Jiyeol had said something. When he was about to raise the bottle to his mouth again though, Jiyeol's fixed stare at his neck made him hesitate. Jongdae felt that the tips of his ears were tingling. Why didn't he let his hair grow a bit longer...

 _Get ahold of yourself,_ his inner voice told him.

A lot of people had commented about his Adam's apple before. It was no big deal. He was just being too self-conscious ― Jiyeol most likely wasn't even looking at it, it must only be a wrong impression because of an angle or something.

He slowed his breath, thought really hard about the scores he had to print out for his Monday classes, and when his heartbeat finally got back to (almost) their usual rhythm, drank up the rest of the water.

There was no comment, no reaction whatsoever. Jongdae relaxed a bit. There, there, he was just overreacting. Not like he really thought Jiyeol had any hidden intentions, even if he _had_ been looking or _had_ said something, though. Like he had told Jiyeol, he had heard the same kind of comment about his Adam's apple many times before. There was nothing unusual about a friend commenting about that-

"Jongdae-yah, how much do you weigh?"

He blinked. Well, that was random.

"67, or 68kg, I think," he replied anyway. "I haven't weighed myself lately, but that's my usual weight."

Jiyeol hummed in understanding. "I can't believe you're heavier than me. You don't look like it at all."

"It seems I have a lot of muscle mass, even though I don't exercise or anything," Jongdae explained. Minseok really envied that about him; he had to go to the gym every day to build as much muscle as Jongdae would get just by eating some more protein and doing some weight lifting at home. Besides, Jongdae wouldn't gain fat no matter how much he ate or how much beer he drank, whereas Minseok had to observe a much stricter diet to maintain his body. Minseok complained about the unfairness of the universe a lot, but Jongdae just admired his boyfriend for his perseverance.

Personally speaking, he would still think Minseok was the most handsome guy he had ever seen even if he had a round beer belly. That was not important for him at all.

"It's just really hard to believe." Jiyeol frowned. "You really look smaller than me."

"I think I _am_ smaller, but... Denser, too? If that makes sense."

"Does that mean you're muscular?"

Jongdae scratched his neck. For some reason, he was feeling a bit embarrassed. "Well... My muscles are not, like, well-developed or anything, not like those from people who work out and stuff. They're just... there."

Jiyeol nodded, but didn't say anything else. They both kept silent for a while; Jiyeol looked pensive, his gaze directed somewhat towards Jongdae's direction, but at the same time as if he was looking through him, not really fixed at any particular spot. Jongdae, on the other hand, had just realized they had had a whole conversation talking about _his_ body. Was that weird? Most likely not. Friends talked about such things, right? Weight and muscles and working out. A very manly subject, actually.

"I know this is going to come across as weird, but... Could I touch it?"

This time Jongdae's brain short circuited for real. It? Touch? What? Could he?

Some of his confusion must have shown in his face, because Jiyeol quickly added, "your abdomen, I mean. Because of your muscles." He shrugged. "I'm not sure I get what you're saying, so I'd like to feel it for myself."

That was... Totally normal?? Right??? Completely normal! It must be!

Perhaps Jongdae had been out of the loop of straight male conversation for too long; he had straight friends, but they all knew he was gay, so they behaved accordingly when they were together. Heck, he had seen some guys from the gym Minseok frequented feeling each other's biceps up ― it seemed a common enough practice. The only reason he felt uneasy was precisely because he was not involved in contexts where that kind of request was usual, but there was nothing wrong with it in itself... Right?

Anyhow, he could not let Jiyeol realize how confused he felt. A lot of people had treated him differently after they found out he was gay, especially guys, as if he was unable to control his sexual desires when he was around men and would attack them at any time if they were not careful with their words and actions. He didn't want Jiyeol to be like that. Jongdae wanted him to treat him just like he would any of his other friends.

"Sure," he replied easily (on the outside, at least).

Jiyeol got up and walked closer, till he was standing next to Jongdae. His left hand hovered in the air as he hesitated for a brief second before he finally placed it over Jongdae's tummy.

"Wow, you're hard." Jongdae was sure his cheeks got red; he could feel the heat in them. He was not hard... Was he? Although that was not what Jiyeol was referring to... "It feels like you have a six-pack."

"I really don't," he stressed again. "Weird, right?"

"Hm, I don't think so..." Jiyeol's fingers trailed the shapes of his abdomen over his shirt; Jongdae was sure his heart was about to explode, guilt washing over him like a tsunami. _Stop feeling like that_ , he told himself again and again, trying to remember how he felt when his parents or his brother touched him. That was how he was supposed to be feeling: a totally asexual, aromantic touch. Jiyeol was his fucking _friend_.

Correction: no fucking involved.

"Whoever dates you, Jongdae-yah," Jiyeol's hand traced its way up, past his abdomen, all the way to his neck. His thin, long index finger circled once around his Adam's apple, "is a very lucky person."

Jongdae froze, from his toes to every last strand of his hair. _Damn it_. How come straight guys did all those things and managed not to feel affected at all? Even if it was a girl who did that to him, Jongdae thought he would have felt a little uneasy ― and he would certainly never have felt confident enough to do that to a girl, either.

Unless... Well, unless Jiyeol was actually...

As the thought entered his mind, Jiyeol let go of him and casually moved to the armchair. "You should let me introduce you to some girls someday, Jongdae-yah," he said as he flickered through his phone. "I know a lot of cuties. It's a waste for you to be single."

So, Jiyeol wanted to introduce him to some of his girl friends.

Once more, Jongdae felt the tension in his body dissipate. Weirdly enough, it was followed by a vague disappointment.

"Well, actually..." He and Minseok agreed on not revealing their relationship to anyone before talking about it first, but there were still a couple of things he could say. "I'm not at all interested in girls..."

Minseok disliked troublesome things.

One could say his appreciation of neatness was the guiding thread in his life: Minseok was not fond of fuzziness, of blurred lines, of indistinct relationships. He was a person of direct approaches. He had flirted with Jongdae as soon as he saw him and found him attractive; he had asked him out officially as soon as he figured out his feelings; he had invited him to move in together as soon as he was confident their relationship was solid and that he wanted it to last. Since Jongdae was as sincere as one can be, they were a perfect fit.

There were situations, however, where he could not just act freely as he wished. There were situations that called for different measures.

Case in point, Baekhyun.

Minseok had figured out the boy was interested in him as soon as the second time they saw each other. Besides being good at reading people to begin with, Minseok had honed his skills after many years of working with people on a daily basis, so it would have been nearly impossible for Baekhyun to hide it even if he wanted to. He would ask Minseok all those indirect questions that were evidently aimed at investigating his relationship status; his trembling, hesitant touches revealed desire; his eyes, despite the boy's best efforts, could not perfectly hide his lust.

That was precisely the kind of troublesome situation Minseok wished he could stay out of. It was not that he disliked Baekhyun ― not at all. Minseok thought he was cute from the get-go, even with those huge sunglasses hiding his dainty droopy eyes. As time passed, Minseok thought Baekhyun was not only cute, but also an overall nice, fun person to be with. He was witty and had a great sense of humor, features both Minseok and Jongdae lacked, so it was rather refreshing to talk to him.

It was a problem, however, that Baekhyun was interested in him in another sense as well.

Despite how handsome or sexy or charming anyone else was, Minseok's love for Jongdae was as unwavering as a mountain. He felt flattered that someone as good-looking as Baekhyun was hitting on him (although being hit on was not that rare an occurrence for him as a barista), but had the context allowed it, he would have rejected his efforts openly and clearly a long time ago.

The issue was, Baekhyun was a somewhat influential person, or so it seemed. Minseok really was not too familiar with internet celebrities, but he knew those on social media were able to sway their audiences more directly. Baekhyun did not look the crazy type, but Minseok knew the craziest were often the ones who looked the most normal at first. What if he went on a vengeful spree and badmouthed his café on the internet? What if he left really bad reviews on those traveling sites? Minseok's café was located in a touristic spot: if his reviews rating dropped, it might scare off foreigners who looked up where to go on the maps according to the number of stars.

Moreover, there was an additional problem. Even though Minseok had to be very careful when rejecting people's advances in general, most were from women, and he felt they were not as invested. It was rare, very rare in fact, for men to flirt with him at the café. For a man to have that kind of courage, it usually meant they already suspected him to be gay or at least to swing both sides. Baekhyun's efforts had been going for a long time now ― was it possible that he would still be trying that hard if he was not sure Minseok would consider dating a man?

To Minseok, it seemed likely Baekhyun knew _something_ , and that only meant it was even harder for him to reject him. Forget bad reviews; if word got around that he was gay, his clientele might be chased away, not to mention the possibility that the neighborhood commerce association might try to drive him out, as it was majorly led by conservative middle-aged men.

Simply put, being gay and the owner of a business outside the more renowned gay-friendly districts was still rather complicated ― which was also why Jongdae and he had decided a long time ago not to disclose their relationship to anyone they were not close with.

Therefore, he could not tell Baekhyun he was already in a relationship, and felt uneasy about rejecting him as well. The only solution he was able to come up with was to neither accept nor reject his advances, keeping him at a safe distance, and hope the boy would eventually get tired and move on.

He was following that plan to a T; had been for over three, four months now.

As Baekhyun did not show any signs of giving up though, Minseok slowly realized his own stance of not being swayed by him might not be as unshakable as he had originally thought.

For example, when he walked into the café that night wearing leather pants and a black polka-dot shirt, it was the first time Minseok's body reacted unconsciously to anyone other than his boyfriend. The oversized hoodie he had worn over the outfit as a disguise was even the more enticing, as it made him look smaller than he really was ― smaller than Minseok.

"You're coming by late," the barista observed. Despite the effect Baekhyun had just triggered on him, Minseok was able to play it down convincingly; he doubted the other had noticed anything.

"I was at a meeting nearby, thought I would drop by before you closed," Baekhyun explained as he leaned against the counter. "I'm glad I was able to get here in time."

Minseok thought the smile Baekhyun had on his face as he spoke was very pretty. He seemed genuinely happy. Oh god.

He raised one of his eyebrows at the singer. "You know, there are only five minutes left before I _do_ close it."

Baekhyun tapped one of his fingers on his chin.

"I originally thought I'd convince you to make me a refresher, but I don't want you to get any dishes dirty when you're about to finally stop working. So, Hyung," he wiggled his brows, "how about you and I become clients together somewhere else? Wanna get a drink with me?"

Those eyebrows, with those leather pants, and all those open buttons down his collar... Baekhyun was _really_ troublesome.

But, to Minseok's dismay, he did not dislike that much at all.

Despite not everything having gone according to his plans, those days had not been a complete waste of time.

Unfortunately, Minseok had not accepted his invitation. Although Baekhyun insisted a lot, the barista did not budge an inch. He claimed he had stuff to do at home and apologized ― but he did make him a drink before he left, so at least his going to the café was not completely in vain. Also, last night he had finally been able to find out something about Jongdae: if not his relationship status, at least now Baekhyun had confirmation he was gay. He had certainly been a little too bold in his approach ― it was rather fortunate Jongdae had not felt weirded out by him and his plan had actually worked.

If he were to be honest, it was either the case Jongdae was purposely ignoring his advances or that he was truly oblivious to all of Baekhyun's attempts at flirting (no matter how obvious). He had a hunch the second hypothesis was the most likely, since Minseok's case was clearly the first, and the way each of them reacted was almost polar opposites.

Perhaps Jongdae was in a long-term relationship and could no longer recognize when he was being hit on. Perhaps he was just naïve. Baekhyun hoped to find out soon enough.

He had never been in that kind of situation before, being that invested in two people at once without even knowing whether he had any real chances with either of them. To begin with, it had been a long time since he had last fallen in love; his last relationship had been when he was still a pro-gamer, with one of the staff members who oversaw his team ― an older guy called Heechul ―, over two years ago. Baekhyun wasn't sure there had been any romantic love involved or if he had just been feeling particularly needy back then, and Heechul simply indulged him. They were still friends, but their relationship had become much more similar to that of siblings now, and Baekhyun felt that was how it was actually supposed to have been from the beginning.

Although he could still not admit it to Chanyeol when he asked him, deep down he knew his crushes on the barista and the singer had become too serious to still be called that ― a crush. If anything, crushes were supposed to fade away quickly, especially in the absence of any development. It had been over four months now though. If compared to how he had felt at the beginning, Baekhyun could only say his attraction to these two people had deepened, not weakened.

Baekhyun was still working hard in his channel and his singing gig because he was a responsible adult, but he would be lying if he said his encounters with Minseok and Jongdae were not his main motivation to survive through his schedule. Throughout the week, he had to stop himself from going to the café every day (he didn't want to freak Minseok out), but he would still go almost every other day and stay for at least an hour even when they couldn't talk, just observing the barista from afar; on Fridays he would go as early as he could to the bar so that he could hang out with Jongdae till the time of their performances, and most days it was just the two of them for hours ― they would talk or sing or play games together, and Baekhyun would always try to make the most of it since he would have to wait another whole week to see him again.

When that whole situation began, Baekhyun had been certain he would have developed a preference between the two by now, four months after their meeting. If anything, though, it was a surprise even to him that he was still as confused as when he had first met them. It couldn't be helped: Minseok and Jongdae were like water and earth, sugar and salt ― even if there were a couple of days in which he felt himself leaning more towards one or another, at the end of the day Baekhyun liked them both, and couldn't let go of either of them.

He looked at his own reflection on the black screen of the gigantic TV in front of him in his living room, both his hands cupping the drink on his lap that Minseok had made him. Their hands had brushed when the barista handed him the drink. It was a silly thing, childish even, but Baekhyun had been grasping at straws for a long time with Minseok now, enough pent up frustration that even the memory of such a fleeting touch was enough to make his insides twist and boil.

And then there was Jongdae again ― Jongdae, who had let him touch him yesterday under a very idiotic pretense (although Baekhyun thought Jongdae had really taken him seriously). His waist was tiny, his shoulders were narrow, to the point Baekhyun felt he could cage him easily; still, his whole body seemed to be firm and taut, the muscles offering a nice resistance against the pressure of his touches, just the way Baekhyun liked it.

Minseok had very nice thighs. They were usually covered by his apron, but when Baekhyun waited for him to close the café earlier that night, he had finally seen them in their full glory in those skin tight black jeans Minseok was wearing. His thighs, and Jongdae's beautiful Adam's apple that bobbed up and down as he gulped down that whole bottle of water... His lips surrounding the tip...

 _Fuck_. He swore his feelings for those two were deeper than this, but he could not help it. Only once... For the night...

He put his cup down on the center table and leaned against the back of the couch. When he closed his eyes, the first image that popped in his mind was of Minseok's toned arms ― a rare but very much welcomed sight on the few days he wore a short-sleeved shirt or a T-shirt to work. Next, it was the soft curl at the edges of Jongdae's lips. Next, Minseok's gummy smile. Next, Jongdae's hard abs. Next, Minseok's monolid eyes. Next, Jongdae's long eyelashes.

He palmed himself over his pants, feeling his length harden as the images of Minseok and Jongdae mixed up in his mind.

He could not decide on one particular scenario to imagine. It occurred to him that Jongdae's lips would look pretty stretched around his dick, his eyelashes fluttering prettily when he looked up as he sucked him. But then he thought he would also enjoy being the one to look up as he sucked Minseok's dick and was met with his hard, feline gaze, his hand gripping hard on Baekhyun's hair, yanking him forward to make him take him deeper into his mouth.

Or else, he would like to lick Jongdae's torso, find the lines of his hidden muscles with the tip of his tongue as he made way to his neck and sucked on that beautiful Adam's apple of his. Or else, he would like Minseok to pinch and bite at his nipples till they were hard and sensitive, and he would beg the barista to stop teasing him and fuck him already.

 _Fuck fuck fuck_. He opened the zipper of his pants and pulled his underwear down just enough. His right hand moved swiftly up and down the length of his shaft, all the way from the base to the head, the circle of his fingers tightening around his erection. He couldn't remember the last time he had jerked himself off ― had it been two, three months ago? He wasn't sure, but he thought masturbating had never been this intense.

But it was still not enough.

Baekhyun got up and walked to his bedroom, getting a bottle of lube from one of the nightstand drawers. He took off his pants and his underwear completely before lying down on his side on the bed. After pouring some lube on both his hands, one of them moved back to his dick, while the other tentatively touched his hole.

He shuddered at the sensation of the tip of his finger entering himself; if it had been a long time since he'd last touched his dick, it had been even longer since he had fingered himself. Still, when he thought of Minseok and Jongdae, he felt like that's what he needed.

His left hand slowed down as he inserted both his right index and middle fingers into himself, frowning with discomfort at first before he got used to the stretch. He explored the inner walls with his fingers till he found that rubbery tissue he was looking for. A wave of sensations washed over him, making his legs go weak ― which was not a problem, really, since he was already lying down anyway, but the fluttery sensation still left him a little jittery. When he found his strength back and with the position of his fingers secured, he resumed the movements of his left hand, while at the same time massaging his prostate in soft, circular motions. He moaned loudly into the empty room, wishing someone(s) could be there to shut him down with their mouth. Preferably those two. Together.

It was a wild dream, but this was _not_ a moment for rationality. Baekhyun allowed his imagination to run amok, picturing both Minseok and Jongdae in the room with him, bracketing him; it was actually Minseok's fingers entering him and touching his sweet spot, and it was actually Jongdae's hand wrapping his dick, his thumb pressing down on its head, teasing its slit. Jongdae bent down and kissed his face, ever so gently, leaving butterfly kisses over his forehead, his eyes, his nose ― his mouth; meanwhile, Minseok had lain down behind him and left a trail of wet kisses on his neck, whispering dirty words to his ear before he sucked hard on the skin below. Baekhyun couldn't see it, but he knew there was now a large, purple mark where his lips had been.

Both Jongdae and Minseok joined efforts to tease his nipples, Jongdae circling them softly with the tip of his fingers while Minseok squeezed them harshly, then massaged them soon after as a silent apology. The movements in front and behind grew faster, more intense. He started moaning again ― but this time Jongdae's mouth was there to swallow his sounds, his tongue playing with Baekhyun's before he teasingly nibbled at Baekhyun's bottom lip, then at his upper lip as well and back again, until Baekhyun could feel the soft skin had grown swollen and sensitive. He moaned again, and then a hand pulled his head to the side and Minseok was leaning over him, pressing their open mouths together. When Minseok let him go, Baekhyun felt dizzy, what more with those two feline pair of eyes staring closely at him like predators watching their prey.

He could feel it now; he was almost there, his prostate having become so sensitive that he wasn't very sure he still had legs, or any lower body for that matter. 

Still in a haze, he watched as imaginary Minseok and Jongdae raised their eyes from him and looked at each other for the first time. Somewhat unexpectedly even to Baekhyun himself, they glanced back at him for a moment with lopsided smiles on their faces before they leaned forward, their hands still in and on Baekhyun's intimate parts, and kissed.

Baekhyun came right there and then, hot and hard, the white fluid spilling all over his hand and the quilt under him. His prostate-enhanced orgasm shot throughout his whole body, leaving the ends of his nerves open and exposed, as if he had been pinched by a thousand needles. He felt oversensitive, the sensation slightly painful, but the pleasure that came with it too intense for him to regret it.

He honestly did not know when his subconscious had had the idea of putting these two together, but that was the hottest scene he had ever seen.

It was really too bad, he thought, that the chance of that happening in real life was basically nonexistent.

⚞⚟

They decided to prepare a spicy fish stew that night. Minseok was not a huge fan of spicy food, but it was Jongdae's favorite and he felt like spoiling his boyfriend.

The food somehow managed to turn out quite good even though neither of them were great cooks. Jongdae, however, was pensive and distant as he slurped the soup down, much less enthusiastic than Minseok had hoped he would be. Minseok tried starting conversations with him time and again, but they all died out too soon, as Jongdae didn't really try to keep any topic alive after answering his questions. Minseok knew Jongdae inside and out and therefore was not too worried that his boyfriend might be angry at him or anything of the sort; that was not how he behaved. He could see, however, that an inner conflict was broiling in him, most likely the type he was afraid to let loose and ended up burning his insides instead.

That was typical of Jongdae, not being able to talk about his feelings and keeping them all to himself. That sweet, selfish brat.

Minseok stretched his arm across the table, brushing his fingers against Jongdae's resting hand. "A penny for your thoughts."

Jongdae put his chopsticks down and swallowed a piece of soft tofu before he raised his eyes at his boyfriend. He was about to say it was nothing, but the look Minseok gave him was clear: he knew Jongdae would try to brush it off and wasn't having it. Damn. Jongdae had been thinking for weeks about how to approach that subject but had yet to come to a satisfying conclusion. In reality, he thought there most likely was none, and just kept postponing taking any action over and over again in hopes that those feelings would eventually subside on their own.

It had been six months since he first met Jiyeol. At the beginning, Jongdae thought he seemed like a good person; at the middle, that he was funny and entertaining; and now, that he was one of the most incredible people he had ever met. Not just amazing in any generic sense, but amazing _to him_ : the way they connected, the way they thought alike, the way they got along, were just out of this world. If Jongdae had to pick any words to describe it, there was only one that came to his mind. Baekhyun was the _soulmate_ he had never had ― or rather, it was like they had been originally one, halves split at birth (Baekhyun's birth, of course, and Jongdae's soul had just wandered for a while before finding a body to be born in).

He was afraid to relate that to Minseok, however, as he could see how easily that may be misinterpreted. Yes, it did happen that he had... sexual... romantic feelings for Baekhyun (there! He had finally admitted it out loud! In his mind anyway), but Jongdae believed their connection would still be there even if the two remained friends forever (of course he would be happy if they could be lovers too though). Calling him his soulmate was just the way he found to explain how he felt. That did not change a bit how madly in love he was with Minseok.

If Baekhyun was like his carbon copy, Minseok was complementary to him in every aspect that mattered most. He hesitated ― Minseok was decisive. He minced his words ― Minseok was straightforward. He was insecure ― Minseok was confident. He had trouble talking about his feelings ― Minseok not only was clear about his but also shone a light on Jongdae's own. Jongdae too easily let go of things he wanted in favor of others ― Minseok was fairer and weighed all interests and merits involved. Minseok was a bit cold-hearted at times ― he was softer, more emotional. Minseok was impulsive ― he was thoughtful, reflected more before taking action. Minseok could be a bit selfish ― he was a lot more generous than average. They served as each other counterweights, kept each other in balance, stopped each other from giving in to their distinct but still destructive behaviors.

It was different. They weren't always on the same wavelength, not like he and Baekhyun were; but there was beauty in that, too.

Had he met Baekhyun first and not Minseok, it might have been the case where Baekhyun would be the one he couldn't let go off ― he didn't know. As it were, though, no matter how much he loved (yes, loved) Baekhyun, how much he desired him, how madly attracted he was to him, he was not willing to fulfill any of those feelings if that meant he could no longer have Minseok.

Hence why he had not taken any action, and had just been waiting for nature to, somehow, take its course.

Minseok had been observing him in silence, patiently waiting as Jongdae tried to put his thoughts together. As he witnessed Jongdae not finding the right words, opening his mouth just to close it right after, his brows deeply furrowed in angsty considerations, Minseok interlaced their fingers and called his attention back to him. When Jongdae returned his gaze, what he found were warm, gentle eyes fondly, _understandingly_ looking at him, the embodiment of a caress if there ever was one.

"It is him, isn't it?" Jongdae blushed and averted his eyes. Minseok squeezed his hand tighter. "It's okay, Jongdae. You can tell me." His voice was soft, but also unwavering. "You know I have never said these words lightly."

Jongdae bit his lower lip. What Minseok said was true, of course; but still, having that conversation would most likely mean things were never going to go back to how they were before. Something would be changed forever.

Maybe, it already had.

"...I don't know what to do," he muttered eventually, not really answering but nevertheless still indirectly answering the question.

Minseok's thumb stroked the back of his hand. "You love me." Jongdae nodded effusively. It was not a question though. "You love him, too." This time his reaction was a bit delayed, but he still nodded once, just a small movement of his chin. "And I love you more than anything, so it's settled."

The singer blinked, then frowned. "How is it settled?"

"Look, Jongdae..." Minseok pushed his chair to the side till he was in front of his boyfriend and held both his hands in his lap, caressing them as he spoke. "I'm not willing to let you go, and I don't want you to be unhappy either. Besides, you'd be unhappy if we broke up too."

He could more or less see where Minseok was going. "But... It's not fair to you."

"You should stop single-handedly making those decisions in the name of others."

Jongdae pouted slightly. "It's just― I can't be― I feel like I'm putting you at a disadvantage, somehow. Let's make this an open relationship, then."

"An open relationship?"

"Yeah, so that... If you also... I mean, so that you can also... You know..."

Minseok raised an eyebrow at him. "To be honest, I'm not too sure I can handle an open relationship."

"But... isn't that what you're suggesting we do?" At this point, Jongdae was honestly confused, the number of creases in his forehead increasing by the second. "But only on my side?"

Their hands had not left each other for a single moment since Minseok had first joined them. He made sure not to let them go and squeezed them again, Jongdae's hands sandwiched between his own.

"An open relationship would mean anyone walking past by us could be a potential interest... I'm a bit ashamed to admit, but I don't have the confidence to fully handle that." Jongdae wanted to complain and point out he was not that shallow (nor that horny), but at the same time he knew that was not what Minseok meant to begin with anyway, so he let it go (for once). Minseok showed him a small smile, as if he knew the internal monologue that had just happened in his head, and continued. "With Jiyeol though, it's already at a point I can't avoid it."

Jongdae turned his hands in Minseok's hold till the two were palm to palm against his boyfriend's. "You know that's not true." He interlaced their fingers, held them tightly, looked down to Minseok's beautiful fingernails scraping faintly against the back of his hands. "I'll bury those feelings if you ask me to. I was willing to do it from the beginning."

"I know." He pulled one of Jongdae's hands towards his mouth and placed a soft kiss on its back. "But you couldn't, right? I know you have tried hard. That's why I'm saying it's pointless. I love all of you," he pushed Jongdae's hand, still interlaced with his, against his chest, over his heart, "including the parts of you you don't own anymore."

They both leaned forward on their chairs, their noses almost touching, their mouths terribly close.

"It's different, because part of your heart is already his. You can't give me something you don't have anymore. Besides, how could I ever make any part of you suffer?"

It was wrong ― Jongdae couldn't shake that feeling off of his chest. Nonetheless, he also felt relief; and so, so much love his heart was about to explode. Minseok pressed Jongdae's hand against his chest harder and bent in for a kiss. Jongdae would've been happy to oblige him, but as much as he wanted to, they still had to come to a better resolution.

Their lips only brushed for a second before Jongdae leaned back, much against his own will. Damn being a responsible adult.

"Wait, so let me just get this straight. You're saying it's ok for me to go out with Jiyeol because I love him?"

Minseok's answer was simple enough. "Yes."

"So you're not ok with me just giving in to any sexual attraction I might experience towards any random person ― you're saying you're ok with it because you know I couldn't help falling in love with this person?"

"Yes."

"Then, by all means, I feel the same." Minseok looked confused. "What I mean is... If you fall in love with someone, it's ok for you to date them, too."

He chuckled. Chuckled! "Do you _want_ me to fall in love with someone else?"

"In a way, I'd feel it was fairer... But that's not what I mean. I don't want you to go out looking for love either. All I am saying is, if it happens, if it just comes your way..." It was his time to kiss the back of Minseok's hand; lovingly, softly. "Then I guess it can't be helped."

His hands were suddenly released, and Jongdae felt himself being pulled forward, made to stand up and then sit back again ― this time, on Minseok's lap.

"Alright, I get it. I'll let you know if it happens." He pressed his face against Jongdae's chest, buried his nose in his shirt, letting himself soak in his smell; even though Jongdae had been out all day, his cologne held on quite nicely, mixed with his own particular scent. Minseok couldn't really describe it, but it felt... It felt like home. And love. "For now, though, I think we should enjoy ourselves," he bit on one of Jongdae's buttons, then laughed when he was unable to open it with his teeth, "since this may well be the last time I have you all to myself."

Jongdae blushed the tiniest bit from these blunt words, more turned on than embarrassed. He held on to Minseok's shoulders as the barista started to unbutton his shirt, one by one.

"Can I ask you something, though?" Minseok asked sometime after, Jongdae's shirt already on the ground, Minseok's mouth on one of his nipples.

"...Yes?"

"Please, don't fall in love with anybody else."

On the table, the stew was left, forgotten.

That Friday, all at once, nothing and everything had changed.

Pacing across the room, Jongdae did not know why he felt so nervous. He had sorted things out with Minseok, which meant it was now ok for him to flirt with Jiyeol without the weight of a heavy conscience, which was a great development, of course ― but that did not mean Jiyeol would instantly treat him any differently.

Actually, it would most likely be weird if Jongdae made any sudden changes to his behavior as well. He should take it slowly... He had never allowed himself to consider Jiyeol in that sense, too focused on keeping his thoughts friend-rated, but perhaps it was time to pay attention to Jiyeol's actions, evaluate if he actually had any chances, if there was any possibility Jiyeol might be gay, even though he had never mentioned anything that might give off that idea. Not that Jongdae ever noticed, at least.

Jiyeol was in the entertainment industry now, so it was very unlikely that he was prejudiced. Actually, he had already told him about being gay and he hadn't displayed any aversion. Besides, didn't he say he worked with some kind of internet production, edited videos or something like that? Jongdae couldn't quite remember, but these people who worked with technology were quite often forward-thinking, weren't they? Even if Jiyeol did not feel the same about him, surely he wouldn't want to break off their friendship... Would he?

Fuck it, Jongdae had already forgotten how awful it was to fall in love with (potentially) straight guys. That had been the major cause of suffering for him during his school days and even college, until he finally discovered the wonderful reality of gay night clubs and was able to admire men without being scared they might be disgusted by him.

He hadn't really enjoyed much of that life since he met Minseok soon after, but nevertheless. Damn straight guys with cute faces. He really hoped Jiyeol was at least bi.

When Jiyeol walked into the room a couple of minutes later, he still hasn't settled his feelings or came up with a plan of action, which meant he was dumbstruck by his simple standard greeting.

 _Fuck it_.

 _Damn it_.

Jongdae did not know what else to do than to curse in his mind.

"Jongdae-yah..." Jiyeol quirked an eyebrow at him, "did anything happen?"

...

Somehow, they had ended up in this situation.

Jongdae supposed he might have suggested they get a drink, although he couldn't really remember clearly. There was a faint taste of beer left on his tongue though, and he seemed to recall Jiyeol's drunken laugh echoing in his ears. He was not the type to have alcohol blackouts, not at all; it might have been because he was too nervous and hadn't been sleeping properly due to his nervousness in the last week. Oh well. His shoulders were still tense and his chest still tight, so he most likely hadn't done anything improper, such as confessing in the middle of the dance floor.

Some barriers were set up too high that even a lot of alcohol was not enough to bring them down.

He rubbed his head, trying to knead off a headache that was just starting to appear. He was truly getting old, having a headache like that even before he had gone to sleep. He got up from the sofa seat where he had been... sitting... lying down? He was not too sure, and found his way through the mass of bodies to the bar counter.

"A bottle of water, please."

Now that it had been a couple of minutes since he had woken up from his... nap (most likely), his memory was indeed coming back to him (he really was not the type to get blackouts). He had somehow managed to survive the afternoon with Jiyeol without giving much away. When it came to performing, he was of course a professional, so he did not let his feelings get in the way of delivering to the public the spectacle they had paid for (if he could call his performance that). Jiyeol had been great too, as always. It was only after they both finished that Jongdae had timidly asked the other whether he'd like to have a drink before heading home.

It had been a stupid suggestion, since Jiyeol had already told him a few times he was not too fond of alcohol and did not have a very high tolerance to it. It was from then on that Jongdae's memory got a little hazy, most likely since that had been when he had started drinking.

He remembered Jiyeol holding an orange-ish drink on his hand, so he supposed he had opted to get a liquor mixed with some juice instead ― a common choice for those who did not like the taste of beer or pure liquor, but also a dangerous one, since the juice masked the alcohol and in fact made one get drunk much faster.

That must have been what had happened, because it was certainly not Jongdae's suggestion to come to a nightclub. Even the clubs he used to go to back in the day (...he wasn't really that old though...) (Jiyeol and he were the same age though!!!!) were not this... How to put it... _Performance_ oriented, what with all those neon lights and flashing bulbs and loudspeakers vibrating from god knows where. Even if he hadn't had that many beers (and most likely some soju), he felt he would get a headache even if he just stood there sober.

Coming to that conclusion begged the question: where was Jiyeol?!

He had been napping on a sofa by the looks of it, so there was a chance Jiyeol had placed him there (because he was too drunk or something) and either left altogether or planned on coming back later to check on him. Based on that single clue, Jongdae drank the last gulps of water left in his bottle and went back the way he came from. Unfortunately, though not at all unexpectedly, someone had taken his seat. Just what was he about to do now...

"Jongdae-yah!" A familiar voice screamed his name over the roaring music. Jongdae searched all around him for the source of that voice, till he finally spotted a red-faced Jiyeol making his way through the crowd on the other side. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm ok!" He yelled back as he pushed through a group of people, circled a couple who might actually be having sex right there and then, and finally reached Jiyeol. "I went to the bar to get some water!"

"What?"

"I just went to the bar to get water!"

Jiyeol pointed to his ears with his hands. "I can't hear you!"

Jongdae could barely make out what he was saying based on his lips. It did seem like the music had just gotten louder.

"Let's get somewhere we can talk!" Jongdae said, gesturing at the same time.

Since Jiyeol nodded, he assumed he must have understood him. He grabbed Jongdae by his wrist and started pushing through the dancing crowd. It was a weird feeling, the blinking lights alternating milliseconds of brightness with complete darkness, making it so that Jongdae felt like he was in the stills of a movie, one scene succeeding the other but without there being a real flow, without them being really connected. He supposed the alcohol that still somehow blurred his mind, plus the warmth spreading through his body from where Jiyeol's skin touched his, also contributed to making that whole situation feel unrealistic, a feverish dream.

He wouldn't be surprised if he were to wake up now back on his bed ― or, maybe, back on the couch in the backstage room.

Jiyeol took him all the way to the back of the club, where two doors faced each other, each signaled by a distinctive humanoid drawing. The music still seemed to be echoing inside their bones even there; it was only after they had put one of the heavy thick doors behind them that the noise seemed to stifle, replaced by the buzzing sound of the fluorescent lamps on the ceiling. The bathroom.

"Sorry, but this is the only quiet place I could think of," Jiyeol apologized as he leaned back against the wall opposite the urinals.

Even though they had gotten wasted to the point Jongdae couldn't quite remember everything that had happened that night, it was still rather early for most standards, barely past midnight. The club was crowded, but most people were still holding their liquor instead of throwing it up, and most men hadn't started their intermittent runs to the bathroom to take a leak from all the alcohol either. Hence the place was still quite clean, the smell not that pleasant (if it had ever been), but very acceptable.

"It's fine," Jongdae soothed him. "As long as we get away from those loudspeakers. My eardrums still haven't stopped vibrating."

"This place tends to be loud," Jiyeol said, laughing. "I still don't know why I brought you here. I must've been out of my mind."

"To be honest, I can't really confirm or deny that," he scratched his head, "since I can't remember it either."

"Man, you were _smashed_!" Jiyeol punched him teasingly on his shoulder, his face now solidified into a permanent smile. "What has gotten into you today? It was the first time you invited me out for drinks ― well, not really out since it was in the same bar we perform in, but anyway ―, and you really _went_ for it." He rubbed his nose, averting his eyes from Jongdae for a moment. "I won't lie though, I did too."

"Did I..." Jongdae coughed, clearing his throat, "...do anything weird?"

The reply was not instantaneous. Jiyeol studied him for a bit, a mysterious expression in his eyes. Jongdae felt his palms getting sweaty. He had said something improper, hadn't he?

"Well, you told me about _him_."

 _Shit_. Out of all the ways he could've brought the subject up, he had to start it with Minseok?! He truly hoped he had not revealed too much about their relationship, since they had agreed on Jongdae not talking much about Minseok to Jiyeol ― to reveal as little information as possible until their relationship (if it did come to fruition) had become more stable and they were sure Jiyeol was not going to track Minseok down and do something stupid out of jealousy or something like that.

Minseok was a little paranoid and watched too many soap operas.

"Ah, well, I see, then― Uh, this is weird, but― I don't really remember what I said, so... Uh, what _did_ I say, exactly?"

Jiyeol's smile suddenly became lopsided. "Hah, gotcha! So you _do_ have someone, don't you?"

Uh? "You've tricked me!" He realized, face a mix or horror and anger.

"Not going to apologize! You're the one who never talks about those things! What else was I supposed to do, if my close friend won't open up to me?"

"...It's not a matter of opening up," Jongdae muttered, still unsure how to feel about being called a 'close friend'. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"How is it complicated?" Jiyeol sounded genuinely curious, to the point Jongdae felt his heart dropping to his feet. If he had been interested in him, he wouldn't be that eager to hear him talk about his lover, would he? "Are you in a 'some' relationship? Have you not confessed yet? Are you friends with benefits? Is it an unrequited love?"

Jongdae rolled his eyes. "You sure talk a lot."

"Because _I_ have to do all the talking by myself," he taunted, "since _you_ don't tell me anything."

"Like I said, it's not that I was keeping it from you!" He whined. "Not in the sense that I was keeping you in the dark because of ulterior motives or anything, it's just... We have an agreement not to reveal our relationship to just about anyone, so..."

Jiyeol placed one of his hands over his heart in mockery. "'Just about anyone', huh. That hurts."

Jongdae was about to correct his statement and tell him he wasn't "anyone", that it really was the case that "just about anyone" meant actually _no one_ in that context, that not even all of his older friends knew of his relationship with Minseok ― just reassure him, really, the thought of flirting with Jiyeol buried in some deep part of his mind ―, when Jiyeol's hand unexpectedly moved from his chest to Jongdae's, a finger lightly running over the buttons of his shirt.

"A shame you don't have any ulterior motives towards me, though." Jongdae's breath caught in his throat. Jiyeol removed his hand, his head slightly tilted to the side. "On the other hand, I'm no homewrecker, so maybe it's for the best."

 _Shit_ , was he really saying what Jongdae thought he was saying?!

Was he _really_ not dreaming?!

"Wait." It was Jongdae's time to place his hand softly over Jiyeol's shoulder, just to be sure he wouldn't leave (although he had not made any motions of doing so). "I, actually... Towards you..." His breathing was too shallow, or at least that's what it felt like, as if there was not air enough for his lungs to properly work; his heart was beating like crazy, to the point he could feel it in his neck, the vein on its side throbbing painfully. "I..."

Jiyeol ignored the guy that had just entered the bathroom to pee and pulled Jongdae a bit closer, his back to the wall, their legs interlocked, although still not touching (that was far from being a rare sight in a nightclub bathroom, however, so the guy didn't seem to mind them either and just went about his business).

"Yes? What about you, Jongdae-yah? Will you tell me?"

"Ah, why do you always talk _so much_?!" He whined again. There was a faint excitement in his voice now, though, especially as his hands moved to Baekhyun's T-shirt and softly fisted the fabric between his fingers. "I... God, why is it so hard to say it?"

"You should say it soon," Jiyeol teased, "before I have second thoughts about kissing someone who's already taken. You may find it hard to believe, but I truly am a very good boy."

Openly flirty Jiyeol was even more deadly than Jongdae thought he would be. Blood rushed both to his head and to... _another_ part of his body as Jongdae gladly found a subject with which to postpone saying those words he found so hard to utter.

"Yes! About that, first. It's... Actually ok for us, to..."

"You have an open relationship?" Jiyeol seemed surprised. "You didn't strike me as the modern type at all."

"It's not exactly an open relationship." He bit his lower lip, considering whether he wanted to give him the full explanation right then, and whether he would even be able to explain it at all. With the state of his nerves... Not very likely. "It's more like... It's ok, for me, to be... with you."

"Really?" Jongdae nodded, and some tension he had not even noticed was there vanished from Jiyeol's face. Maybe he truly was a _good boy_ after all (Jongdae's body shuddered just from thinking about that phrase). "Then," Jiyeol’s long, thin fingers moved up to cup Jongdae's face. He stroked his cheek with his thumb, ever so softly, "going back to what we were talking about before... Is there something you wish to tell me?"

Jongdae's clutch on the fabric of Jiyeol's T-shirt tightened as he felt his legs getting a bit wobbly from how nervous he was. Jiyeol's eyes on his were unmoving, however ― slightly curved from his subtle smile, warm and welcoming and shinier than Jongdae had ever seen them before.

"I love you."

They did not immediately close the distance; they did not immediately kiss. Instead, they kept looking into each other’s eyes as Jiyeol seemed like he was savoring those words, taking them apart in his head bit by bit till they revealed the raw feelings inside.

"Love," he repeated, voice surprisingly breathy. "Love you, too."

Ah, yes. Now the kiss.

The two other guys who were in the urinals behind them whistled as they kissed, but neither of them heard it. Jongdae's hands were still gripping Jiyeol's T-shirt; Jiyeol's hand was still cupping Jongdae's face, his other hand coming up to rest softly on his hip bone. Their lips pressed against each other without any other movement for what felt like the longest time, the moist, tender pressure just enough to make them both light-headed. Jongdae was the first to make a move ― maybe to Jiyeol's surprise (he smiled as the thought crossed his mind), but there really was no amount of horniness that could compare to his pent-up frustration throughout all these months.

He released the grip of one of his hands and slid it down Jiyeol's torso up till he reached the hem of his T-shirt. He played with the fabric a bit between his fingers, but in reality, he was a bit hesitant. Under his other hand holding on to Jiyeol's T-shirt, he could feel his breath had changed rhythm; it had halted when his hand moved down, then quickened in anticipation.

Jongdae could relate ― albeit for a different reason. It had been... Years, really... Since he had last touched anyone other than Minseok. If he had artistic skills, he most likely could draw his body with his eyes closed by now; all the hollows and curves of his arms, chest and legs; the shape of the muscles in his abdomen; the long lines of his neck; the sharpness of his eyes, nose and lips; the slight curved shape of his dick when it was hard; the flesh in his thighs; his firm ass, not that plump, but the perfect size for his palms.

Minseok's body was perfect for him, but partly precisely because it was _his_ body ― it was Minseok's.

He knew Jiyeol's body would be different, yet perfect all the same, for the same reason. Because it was his. It was Jiyeol's.

When they were together, Jongdae loved the familiarity with which he and Minseok knew each other's bodies, their likes and dislikes, how to tease, what to say; there was another type of excitement, however, one that he had long forgotten, in exploring another person's body for the first time. He snuck his trembling fingers under Jiyeol's T-shirt and slowly traced the waistband of his pants and of his underwear, slipping the tip of one of them under the elastic teasingly before continuing to move upwards. Jiyeol moaned breathlessly against his mouth as Jongdae's fingers finally found one of his nipples. When he flicked it, Jiyeol moaned again.

" _Fuck_ , Jiyeol-ah," he murmured under his breath, moving his mouth from Jiyeol's own to his ear, "you're so sexy I'm gonna come in my pants."

"That... would be a... waste," he answered, his voice halted by sparks of pleasure as Jongdae's fingers moved around his chest. "I wanna... ah... touch you~"

Just the thought of Jiyeol's beautiful hands wrapping around his dick was enough to make Jongdae almost come right there and then.

"Don't say these things so carelessly," Jongdae half-whined, half-whimpered, now both his hands under Jiyeol's T-shirt. "How come you know exactly what to say to turn me on?"

"As with everything... our tastes are just... too similar." Jiyeol had apparently gathered enough energy to fight back. Both his hands fell to Jongdae's waist, gripped hard and pulled him closer, till their groins were flushed together. This time, they both moaned.

That was _bad_. Bad as in _bad_ bad. Jongdae had had sex with Minseok just a couple days ago, but he felt like he wouldn't be able to hold it much longer. Had he gone back to being a teenager with no self-control?!

Of course there was a silver lining to that as well: If he was going to have two lovers, then it was great to see that his stamina seemingly wouldn't be a problem.

Jongdae felt eyes on his back; as he looked around (separating himself from Jiyeol's much to his dislike), he realized a couple of guys were looking at them as they peed (some of them had already finished!), not at all trying to pretend they weren't. Well, it _was_ a public space ― that much he couldn't complain about ―, but still...

Jiyeol pulled him closer by his shirt again, whispered against his ear, "Jongdae-yah, come here," then pulled him towards one of the bathroom cabins.

The guys outside grumbled, some laughed, and one of them even threw a lube sachet over the opening at the bottom of the door.

"Geez, these people―" Jongdae started, about to complain ― but stopped when Jiyeol's mouth crushed against his, pushing him against the door.

This kiss was nothing like their first ones; it was much more intense, much more desperate. Jiyeol sucked on his lips, then licked over his mouth before his tongue darted inside and searched for Jongdae's, engaging in a very enthusiastic (and very wet) kiss. Jongdae felt saliva pooling at the corners of his mouth, but couldn't do anything about it; he felt as if Jiyeol was all over him; he couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but accept him, embrace all of him, hold his shoulders as Jiyeol hurriedly opened the buttons of his shirt as they kissed, everything happening too fast and yet also too slow.

Jiyeol's mouth dropped to his chest and his shirt was finally out of the way. He licked his way down Jongdae's neck before he reached his nipple and sucked hard. Jongdae's breath hitched.

"I'd already realized we're both obsessed with nipples," Jiyeol muttered as he placed kisses all over his skin, "but what a fine surprise it is to find out we're both sensitive, too."

He continued kissing his way down, teasingly slow. One of his hands stayed up, pinching and twisting Jongdae's right nipple, as the other dropped to Jongdae's pants, clumsily trying to get the button open. Jongdae had covered his mouth with one of his forearms ― he tended to be loud and they were in public (to a certain degree, at least) ―, but when Jiyeol finally managed to do it and dropped to his knees, Jongdae had to stop him.

"No, Jiyeol-ah, come here," he asked (almost begged). "If... If you suck me..." _Shit_ , just thinking about it was... _Shit shit shit_ , "I'll come the moment your lips touch my dick..."

Jiyeol smiled impishly. "I wouldn't mind that, you know."

"I bet you wouldn't, you perverted shit," Jiyeol laughed, "but I don't want to come too soon."

His hands moved up and down Jongdae's sides lightly, feeling him up but at the same time barely touching him at all, making Jongdae shudder, goosebumps spreading all over his skin. "Then what do you want to do?"

Jongdae threw him a lewd look. "First, to take off your shirt."

Eventually, they were both naked from the waist up, their clothes folded messily over the toilet lid (thank god that toilet had one), their pants and underwear lowered down to the middle of their thighs. They were both leaning against the bathroom door on their sides, kissing sloppily as they squeezed their dicks together with all four of their hands. They shuddered together, moaned together; it was quite obvious neither of them was going to last much longer. They were really _that_ in sync.

"Jongdae-yah..."

"Ah... Yes...?"

"Do you prefer... _Fuck fuck fuck_... Being on top... Or bottom...?"

He chuckled as sweat sprouted from his temples. "Do you have to know that... right now?"

"Of course I do..." He bent his head, sucking messily on Jongdae's neck, "after all..." he removed one of his hands from their dicks and moved it to Jongdae's ass, "I want to know... if you'd like it if... _Shit_... If I played with you here."

The shiver that ran through Jongdae's body was enough of an answer, but he still replied, "... _Fuck_... I would."

Jiyeol laughed quietly. "We really are the same."

Jongdae raised an eyebrow at him at the revelation, at the same time feeling suddenly excited ― Minseok was not that much into bottoming, so that was different.

"We don't have any lube though..."

Then they remembered, and both of them looked down to that single sachet on the floor.

...If they were going to throw that to them, then they could've thrown more than one, couldn't they?!

After Jiyeol tried to open the sachet with his hands but failed, Jongdae ripped it open with his teeth. Some of it spilled on his mouth, but they couldn't really waste any of it, could they? So Jongdae licked Jiyeol's middle finger, sticking the lube back together with some of his saliva. Jiyeol looked as if he was about to burst.

They poured the lube over the fingers on their right hands ― Jiyeol's ring and middle fingers, Jongdae's index and middle ones; then their left hands wrapped around each other's dicks as their right hands circled around each other's asses and the tips of their fingers pushed into their holes.

"... You're kind of loose," Jiyeol whispered, his eyes dark.

"I... had sex recently," Jongdae explained, face flushed. "You're loose too..."

"Unfortunately for me... That was my own doing," he disclosed unabashedly.

Jongdae's eyes got a shade darker.

Neither of them could concentrate much on jerking each other off as they focused on fingering each other more. Being sharply aware of each other's fingers slipping inside themselves was not too much of a help either.

Jiyeol entered his middle finger up to the second joint and pumped it in and out a couple of times before pushing it in up to the knuckle. Jongdae muffled his moan with a kiss before he dropped his head down and rested his forehead against Jiyeol's shoulder, his whole body quivering as Jiyeol curved his finger inside and had no problem finding his prostate (what with how aroused he was). It required great concentration on his part to move his index finger that was also already inside Jiyeol and feel the hot walls inside, moving up and up till Jiyeol's deep sigh showed him he had found it. He had been worried his fingers might be too short, but it seemed they were just about the right side.

Luck. Or, perhaps, fate.

It took them some time to get used to the overwhelming sensations and find their pace. They took turns stimulating their holes at first, since every touch was too new and too raw and too immensely pleasurable. As they grew used to the stimulus, however, they were able to multitask a little better. It helped that they started jerking off together, their two hands enveloping both their dicks, so that whenever one of them got too distracted, the other was still able to not let go of the grip.

They eventually found their rhythm though; and when they did, the two of them both rejoiced and regretted it, because it was just. Too. Much.

Leaning more heavily against the door as their legs threatened to give in at any moment, they kept their mouths pressed open against one another, moans flowing non-stop from both their throats as they both pumped their fingers inside each other and moved the tips in different motions ― Jongdae making circles around Jiyeol's prostate, Jiyeol applying pressure and hitting on Jongdae's like button (they had found out what each other liked, mind the reader, ridiculously fast). At the same time, their hands now moved vigorously along their shafts, their thumbs bumping into one another sometimes when their grip slipped but picking it up right away. In a brief moment of strength, Jiyeol nibbled on Jongdae's bottom lip.

After a particularly sharp moan, Jongdae let his head fall down to Jiyeol's neck, and he sucked hard at the sensitive skin.

Jiyeol came, as he his fingers inside Jongdae made a sudden curved motion, Jongdae came too, hot pearl-colored semen spilling over their hands and spilling on the ground.

"Shit." Jiyeol murmured, exhilarated. "This was fucking intense. Can't imagine how good fucking you is gonna feel."

"Shut up." Jongdae whined (even though he internally agreed).

A bigger problem, though, was how all energy seemed to have been drained from his body; he felt his legs going limp, and would've fallen to the ground if Jiyeol hadn't held him, supporting him somewhat awkwardly with his forearms and elbows as his hands were too much of a mess.

"Just hold up a bit till I get us cleaned up," he urged Jongdae with a kiss as he grabbed some toilet paper.

"Okay." Jongdae did the best he could and leaned against the door. "Just so you know though, I'm a cuddler. You're going to have to hug me for at least an hour now before I can let you go."

"There, another match! I am too." His rectangular smile was the brightest Jongdae had ever seen, so dazzling he almost couldn't bear to look at it... But couldn't look away, either. "But I need at least two. Or maybe four."

"...And then I offered him a ride, but he said he lived far away and insisted on getting an Uber," Baekhyun finished telling, his hands cupping his own face like a shy teenager. "He. Loves. Me!" He pronounced each word distinctively and emphatically, ecstatic.

Chanyeol and Sehun looked at each other as they waited for the shrill excited scream they kind of expected to follow, but Baekhyun had apparently been able to hold himself back.

"I don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but like, are you really happy with how things turned out?" Chanyeol couldn't stop himself from asking, receiving a poke from Sehun's elbow as a consequence. He groaned and massaged the area, but it was not enough to stop him. "I mean, in the end, he _has_ a boyfriend, and you're kind of like... A side dish?"

As physical hints seemed not to be enough, Sehun threw him a judgmental stare. "That's crude."

"It's fine, Sehun-ssi," Baekhyun soothed, not at all affected, "Chanyeol's narcissistic, selfish and self-centered, of course he could never get into this kind of relationship."

He was just teasing him, of course, but Chanyeol still fell for it and complained loudly, sticking out his tongue at him. Sehun rolled his eyes at their antics. Truth be told, he had already grown quite used to them.

"Seriously though, I don't know how that'll go either. Let's see how everything's going to play out. For now, Jongdae said he loves me, so that's enough for me."

"I know a couple of people who have relationships like that," Sehun remarked as he sipped at his milkshake. "It's nothing that out of this world."

Still feeling a bit offended, Chanyeol took a big bite of the cake in front of him and chewed it angrily. "That's because you work with a lot of foreigners."

Sehun just hummed in reply, without contradicting him directly. To Chanyeol, however, that simple answer could be translated into a very clear message: "think what you will, but I'm right". It made him fume, how nonchalant Sehun always was, which he found both cool and terribly annoying. He supposed that was one of the reasons he had fallen for him in the first place, though, even if he still found that attitude hard to deal with.

It was just better to let it go. "Anyway," he picked up, "who's that boyfriend of his, then?"

Baekhyun took a piece of the strawberry cheesecake in front of him. "Dunno."

"..." Those two were out to get him that day, Chanyeol was quite sure. "What do you mean, 'dunno'? You didn't ask?!"

"I kind of did, at first, ask something related to him, but Jongdae didn't answer, so I figured he doesn't want to talk about it."

"Don't you at least know his name?"

"My theory," Baekhyun explain, one of his index fingers raised in the air, "is that Jongdae's boyfriend is a bit neurotic and afraid I'll stalk him if Jongdae tells me about him."

Chanyeol and Sehun were quiet as they weighed him up.

"...That's exactly the kind of thing you would do, isn't it?" Sehun ended up being the one to say out loud, even though the same thought had crossed all their minds and they knew it.

Baekhyun's hand flew to his chest. "How could you think that about me?!" He did his best lost puppy impersonation as the words left his mouth before he chortled. "I admit I'd be a bit curious, but it'd be nothing like stalking! Just taking a look at him would be enough."

"Stalker," Chanyeol declared, and Sehun nodded.

"I'm not! But this is a useless discussion anyway, and you two are just ganging up on me. Not fair." He took another bite of his cheesecake. "Anyhow, what I meant to say is, I understand Jongdae's boyfriend may be a bit iffy with me. I'll just have to earn his trust first, no big deal."

Sehun hummed again. "And what about that other guy?"

"Ah, yes!" Chanyeol's eyes widened as he also remembered. "The barista. Are you going to give up on him now, then?"

There was only a piece of cheesecake left, alongside half a sugar-coated strawberry. Baekhyun ate the cake. "Yeah, that. Haven't decided yet." He put his fork on the table and rested his elbows on the surface, supporting his chin on his hands. "I've never told Jongdae about him for obvious reasons, but still, Jongdae was really adamant about the fact I was free to do as I wanted. I guess he'd feel guilty if he asked me to be faithful considering he is dating someone else. He's that kind of guy. I wouldn't have minded it though."

Chanyeol scratched his chin. "Do you like him more than the barista, then?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure." He sighed. "I like them both a lot. I guess it just happened that it worked out with him first." He held the strawberry by the leaf, stared at the glossy surface for a bit. "Kim Minseok-ssi hasn't really given me any encouragement, but then again, Jongdae hadn't really given me any hope before yesterday as well." He plopped it into his mouth, leaf and all. "If he warms up to me too... Who knows."

It was an early Tuesday morning. Minseok had received the daily shipment of cakes and pastries from his supplier, arranged them neatly on the display on the counter, and opened the café; but his first client was yet to arrive. He sat on a tall stool next to the computer that had replaced his cash register a couple of years earlier, ledger book in hand, checking once more the spending and income of the last week. It was just a usual workday, and yet, he felt oddly restless.

He supposed it would take at least a couple of days for him to get used to these new circumstances. It had not been easy to watch Jongdae arrive home in the wee hours of Saturday morning, disheveled clothes and swollen lips, body showing signs of the kind of activities he had engaged in. Minseok knew some jealousy would be unavoidable, but the feeling was still unpleasant as it made his blood run cold and his hands close into fists, fingernails digging into his flesh.

He had been the one to suggest it, so he was determined to make it work. Knowing someone else had touched Jongdae, not only touched but given him pleasure (the kind of pleasure Minseok had been the only one to help him experience since they had been together), had made his heart beat faster, had heard the melodic moans Minseok was so fond of... It impacted him more than he had thought it would.

Perhaps that was why he felt a bit distracted, a bit unlike himself.

On Sunday, he had taken his time in staining Jongdae's body with his own again, imprinting his touches into Jongdae's skin, reaching into his depths (both figuratively and literally), scattering marks all over him that witnessed his presence. Jongdae had been more than enthusiastic - in fact, more into it than he had been in months. Even though Minseok was slightly relieved their chemistry had been great as always, there was also a bitter aftertaste of knowing Jongdae's spirits had been affected by his encounter with Jiyeol, and that nothing would be ever the same as it was before.

Changes were not necessarily bad, but for Minseok, they always took some time adjusting to.

When the door chime rang, he automatically placed the ledger book on the worktop in front of him and stood up, a friendly smile springing to his face.

The familiar face that returned a smile to him, however, was somewhat surprising at that time of the day, and made his chest warmer than he expected.

"Good morning, Kim Minseok-ssi," Baekhyun cheekily greeted. "How are you doing on this wonderful day?"

"Someone's happy, I see," he replied. "Good morning, Baekhyun-ssi. Same as always?"

Baekhyun threw himself on the nearest counter stool. "You know me best, Hyung~" Minseok smiled and started fiddling with the espresso machine. "But you still haven't answered me. Everything's good?"

The barista poured the espresso shot into a large cup, then added some sugar and filled it with hot water before covering it with the lid and handing it to Baekhyun. The boy bowed as he received it and placed it in front of himself (as Minseok had learned throughout the months, he was sensitive to hot drinks).

"To be honest..." He felt like he was about to do something he would regret, so he stopped and breathed in and out slowly, till his mind cleared again. "I guess I'd like to have a conversation, if Baekhyun-ssi doesn't mind." More precisely, he was feeling emotionally needy, but that was not something he'd admit that easily.

With his americano in one hand, Baekhyun propped his head on the other, and grinned.

"If you want, Hyung, I can even do all the talking."

Minseok thought, that perhaps, he had let his defenses down.

It might be a natural development, due to the circumstances: he _was_ feeling vulnerable, or at least more vulnerable than usual. Minseok had other friends, back from high school and college and from other places, but they all had their own busy lives. Besides, it would be weird to contact them out of the blue without explaining what had driven him to do so, and he didn't feel like talking about that just now.

Baekhyun, on the other hand, was there every other day. As someone who was oblivious to most of Minseok's personal affairs, their conversations never touched sensitive matters, and somehow they never ran out of subjects to speak about either. Baekhyun was a smooth talker, Minseok could give him that.

Part of it was most likely also due to Baekhyun's change in behavior. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that it is only when something is lost that one realizes its importance. It was quite clear to Minseok that Baekhyun had been interested in him since the beginning, six ― no, now seven ― months earlier. His flirting was very poorly disguised, perhaps even intentionally.

Since a couple of weeks ago, however, there had been a subtle change. It was not to say Baekhyun had grown detached (he was still one of Minseok's more avid clients, after all), but... He was not as desperate. He had toned his advances down, and the way he looked at Minseok was not as hungry, as eager as it had been before.

Minseok had never tried to lead him on or to fool him; the caution he had nurtured during their first interactions just became their default, and even if he'd never openly rejected Baekhyun, he'd not encouraged him either. Hence, he could not say it was at all unexpected that, at some point, Baekhyun might consider moving on: there was no point in fighting lost battles, and that would be a very reasonable way for him to regard their relationship. Only, Minseok couldn't help feeling that weird sense of loss. No matter how fair it might be, it was not pleasant; and it may have unconsciously led him to altering his behavior towards the boy.

Regardless of the actual reasons, something in Minseok had started to change ― and he hated that weird instability inside him. It felt like he had lost his footing, like the whole life he had worked so hard to secure the last few years was slipping through his fingers, all solids liquefying before his eyes.

He liked security, safety. He was not embarrassed to pick boring over exciting. A repetitive, pleasant routine that would repeat again and again till the end of his days: he could not think of a better life.

Yet, imbalance had somehow found its way into his life through Jiyeol, and the whole system that was his life had not quite recovered ever since. As chaos invited chaos, he should've known something was bound to happen on his end, as well.

That day, he was not in his best mood. Jongdae and he had started messing around in bed after waking up and had had some rare morning sex (rare, since their schedules started really early and it was just a hassle to have to clean themselves afterwards), but as they rested next to each other right after, before having to get up to go on with their days, Jongdae had tried to show him some pictures he had taken of Jiyeol.

"I'd rather not see him," Minseok had replied, mood instantly turned sour, although he did his best not to let it show.

"Hm... Alright." Jongdae looked slightly unsettled. "By the way, are you sure you don't wanna come on Friday? Like I told you, you don't need to talk to him. I guess for now, you could just look at him from afar-"

He had not answered out loud, but the look on his face must have given him away, since Jongdae had stopped mid sentence. Minseok covered his face with his hands. He was so embarrassed. He was so weak.

"Minseokkie..." Jongdae hesitated, but eventually touched his hands, softly removing them from his face. "If you want... I can stop it."

"That's not―" He sighed. "I love you, and I want you to be happy. I just need some more time to learn how to handle it." He held Jongdae's hand, interlaced their fingers. "Is that ok?"

Jongdae had agreed, a bit more high-spirited already; they had taken a shower together, Jongdae had dropped him at the café and went to work, and that had been it.

They were on good terms, and neither his feelings towards Jongdae, nor Jongdae's feelings towards him (as far as he could tell), had been damaged in any sense in that one month since his boyfriend had started going out with Jiyeol. What he was truly frustrated about was how he was still unable to fully accept the situation as it were. Up to that point, he knew _everything_ there was to know about Jongdae, but now suddenly there was a whole chunk of his life he was systematically missing and even unwilling to hear about. Jongdae certainly was not too happy about compartmentalizing his life like that. Ideally, he would like for the three of them to be able to hang out together, and if he and that Jiyeol guy could be friends, all the better. His stupid jealousy, however, just wouldn't subdue.

He was still brooding when Baekhyun entered the café. It was the middle of a rainy morning; tourists had chosen to stay indoors, and office workers wouldn't come out to get coffee in that weather, so the café was empty.

Minseok's mood lightened as soon as he caught sight of that familiar oversized sweatshirt.

"Minseok-ssi~ How's it hanging?" Baekhyun greeted in his usual cheerfulness.

Without him even noticing, the corner of Minseok's lips lifted up in a smile. "Hey there, Baekhyun-ah." Then he proceeded to fetch the frozen strawberries from the freezer, since every time Baekhyun came to café at that time of the morning, he'd be in the mood for a frappuccino.

"Actually, I feel like trying something different today, Hyung", Baekhyun corrected him as soon as he noticed what he was doing.

"Yeah? What is it that you're thinking of?"

"Hm..." He tapped his finger on his nose. "Something less sweet today."

"I thought you had quite the sweet tooth."

"I do. But my taste is actually rather diversified, you know~" He stuck out just the tip of his tongue, a mischievous expression on his face. "I'd like to try Minseok-ssi's recommendation today."

The barista raised his eyebrows. "I see. Don't regret this afterwards."

"I'm quite sure I won't."

The drink Minseok eventually placed in front of him after a bit of preparation was a deep brownish-black foamy espresso in a large glass, with a generous swirl of whipped cream almost filling the upper half of the container. It was quite aromatic, as even Baekhyun could notice considering the way he sniffed the glass with his eyes closed, although he most likely lacked the vocabulary or the knowledge to describe what the difference was from his usual americanos.

"This is a shot from an Ethiopian variety of beans I'm particularly fond of," Minseok explained, "with some whipped cream added to make it less bitter and less acidic."

"Hm~ That sounds perfect."

Minseok sat on the tall stool on his side of the counter with his head propped on his hand as he watched Baekhyun take the first sip with interest. He was trying to be tough, of course, but as soon as the liquid entered his mouth, his forehead folded into a dozen creases.

"Blergh..." he interjected after swallowing, "so bitter!" That was precisely the kind of reaction Minseok had been expecting, so he laughed to his heart's content. Baekhyun frowned at him. "You're a sadist, aren't you, Hyung? You knew what was going to happen..."

"That's why I added the cream, silly." He handed him a straw. "Here, mix it."

They were sitting in front of each other now, more or less at the same height as their stools were the same. Baekhyun took another sip, only this time the cream was effective in balancing out the strong taste of the coffee, so his eyes widened a bit as he drank it.

"I see, it _is_ actually really tasty." Another gulp, and he was smiling. "It knew it, Hyung!" His hand moved towards the barista's face too fast for him to take action; Baekhyun cupped Minseok's right cheek, patting him lightly. "I knew you wouldn't ever be mean to me."

Oh. It was not just about where he touched it, but how he did it, and with what kind of feelings. Baekhyun had never touched him that intimately before. Minseok could tell it was not just harmless flirting this time. There was care in his touch; fondness.

Minseok's heart throbbed. What was it that he was feeling?

"You know," he covered Baekhyun's hand on his face with his own, softly pressed it, "I wouldn't say I will _never_ be mean to you."

His heart throbbed again when the top of Baekhyun's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink.

It didn't take long for him to recover from the shock, though. "Hm, but I feel, that sort of 'mean' you're talking about... Maybe that I could tolerate," he played along, caressing Minseok's face with his thumb. "Oh, Minseok-ssi... There's something in your mouth, let me get it for you." With that, he removed his hand from under Minseok's and ran his thumb slowly over Minseok's upper lip. The barista knew there was nothing - he hadn't even eaten anything that morning -, but nonetheless, Baekhyun's boldness impressed him.

He was even further impressed when Baekhyun took his thumb from Minseok's upper lip directly into his mouth and licked it.

"Oh, I guess there was nothing. My bad," he falsely apologized, eyes overflowing with mischief.

Minseok was just glad he was sitting, and that his lower body was properly hidden behind the counter. In that kind of game, he preferred not to give his opponents the pleasure of realizing they were winning.

"It's ok. No harm done."

Considering the state of his heart, however, that was not entirely true.

The following weeks saw a major change in their relationship, as the next time they'd met, Baekhyun offered to help Minseok set up a website and invest in some online marketing. Both Minseok and Jongdae were useless when it came to technology, hence they had never done anything in that sense: they relied only on third-party websites to give the café some visibility, such as those that hosted user reviews or the map function of browsers, but that also meant things such as menu or prices were not available, which might have detracted a bit of their traffic. After being sure Baekhyun was not going to spend much of his free time on it and that he had no ulterior motives either, Minseok accepted his aid.

To talk business, they had moved from the customer area to that secluded room Minseok had offered Baekhyun at the very beginning. As he had mentioned, he had been using the room for storage at first; ever since he had made the offer to Baekhyun, however, Minseok had decided to clean it up ― who knows, it might happen that he'd have other VIP clients in the future, and such a space could indeed come in handy.

As a result, the narrow, rectangular room was now furnished with two booths, separated by a tall bamboo divider. There was still the problem that, when coming through the door, one would necessarily have to walk by the first booth, taking out its privacy. Minseok did not know how to solve that in that furniture configuration except by making sure the back booth was occupied first, and that whoever got into the first booth should also leave earlier. In any case, there had been no clients using that space, so it was far from being an urgent matter.

They sat on the leather benches of one of the booth together one day after Minseok closed the café, and Baekhyun had showed him how to set up a site on a free website host and builder, helped him make some layout designs, even promised to bring his professional camera so that they could take some nice photos later that week (which he did).

After they finished setting everything up on social media as well, Baekhyun convinced him to boost some posts for promotion, and results had been almost immediate. A month into this internet uplift, Minseok felt compelled, if not forced, to hire a hand to help him, since the increased workload had been too overwhelming. He found a part-timer through some acquaintances, a college student from China called Yixing, who came almost every afternoon. His personality was very quiet, very low-key, much to Minseok's liking, so that'd been great.

With the higher influx of customers, Baekhyun had voluntarily migrated to the side room ― according to him, because he usually stayed longer than others, and did not want to compete for space. Minseok would take drinks to him there, sometimes sit down with him when Yixing was there to take care of the store or in the less busy moments of the day.

They had continued their flirting ― one could say they had stepped it up a notch ―, but neither of them made any definitive advances.

Minseok felt like Baekhyun had left the decision up to him, perhaps because he had made his intentions clear from the very beginning, whereas it was Minseok who had actually come around only later. On his part, the barista hadn't quite made his mind yet, and that was the main reason he had not taken action.

Did he find Baekhyun attractive? Yes. Did he enjoy flirting with him? Yes. Did he enjoy having conversations with him? Yes. Did he like him? Yes.

Did he love him?

Hm.

As mentioned, still not quite sure.

Minseok hurried, making one espresso after another, adding milk and essences and whipped cream on top like a machine. On the other side, Yixing mixed the cold beverages, whipped the ice cream for the frappucinos, blended the fruits for the smoothies. It was a busy afternoon, and thank god he had hired an assistant. The café had never been busier.

In the side room, it was a rare occasion that Jongdae was there. He had the day off from school that day because of some kind of special holiday, but had insisted on driving Minseok to work nonetheless, and then he had kind of just lingered around, listening to music and preparing material for his classes. It was a nice change, to be able to go there and talk to his boyfriend (even kiss him during his breaks), to have someone to have lunch with and just keep him company whenever he took a breather from the chaos.

He finished serving what had felt like an endless stream of clients (but it had indeed ended) and turned around. Yixing was just delivering his last order; he handed the cold drinks to the customer with a friendly smile, then took a handkerchief from his apron and wiped his forehead.

"Busy day today," he commented, putting the cloth away.

"Yeah. I'm so glad you're here." Minseok smiled at him. "You're doing a great job."

"Thanks." Yixing returned him a small, satisfied smile. "I kind of like it hectic, to be honest. There's something fun about doing stuff nonstop."

"Your concept of 'fun' and mine seem to be completely different," he responded, his two eyebrows raised at him. "Although as a business owner, of course I'm glad about increased traffic, if I could choose, I'd prefer my days to be quiet, just having some coffee, maybe talking to some friends..."

"Ah, that reminds me! Do you want me to prepare a strawberry frappuccino or will you do it yourself?"

"Uh?" Minseok frowned. "Why?"

"For that friend of yours. He's just passed by the entrance."

Friend... Frappuccino... Oh. "Wait a minute, when did he come in?!"

"I think you were handing some orders, that's why you didn't see him." Yixing looked at the clock on the wall. "I guess it must've been some fifteen minutes ago? He waved at me so that's why he hasn't come by here yet. He most likely thinks you know he's there."

Shit, Jongdae...! "Can you handle stuff over here real quick?"

Yixing nodded, and he hurried inside.

He opened the door to the room carefully, listening for any voices or sounds; yet, there was none. When he slipped in, Baekhyun looked back from the first booth, where he always sat.

"Ah, Hyung~ I was wondering if you didn't know I was here. Yixing-ah waved at me but I thought, maybe he'd forgotten to tell you."

Yixing- _ah_? Those two had certainly gotten close pretty fast. Nevertheless, more important matters at hand. He walked up to the booth and tried to sneak a peek at the back booth, but the only part of the table that he could see from this angle was empty. He leaned against the side of the bench opposite Baekhyun, right in front of the bamboo divider, with a calmness he had no idea where he had garnered it from.

Baekhyun was sitting there, almost in front of him.

Jongdae was sitting at the back booth, wasn't he?

Had they seen each other? Had they already talked? He had never told Baekhyun he had a boyfriend, and he hadn't been telling Jongdae much about Baekhyun either.

Suddenly, guilt struck him like lightning.

He _had_ been given carte blanche as long as the one he flirted with was someone he was seriously interested in. Baekhyun filled that criterion, although Minseok was not sure it was love. The problem was, his only standard of comparison was how he felt towards Jongdae; they had been together for years, and his feelings for him had only grown in that span of time. Perhaps it was just not fair to compare.

Anyhow, the real issue was ― and he'd only just noticed it at that moment ―, he hadn't been keeping Jongdae posted about Baekhyun. If he had, there'd be no problem in introducing them now. The only reason he felt somewhat guilty was precisely because it felt like a breach in their agreement, like he was keeping Jongdae in the shadows on purpose. _Why_ hadn't he told him about Baekhyun, though? He was certain it was not because he was afraid Jongdae would be jealous; he knew Jongdae enough to know he'd be understanding, much more than he himself was. Was it, perhaps... Because he also wanted to have someone to himself? To make them even?

Was he just leading Baekhyun on as a kind of twisted jealousy move towards Jongdae?

No, no. No. He erased such thoughts from his mind. It was too easy to be judgmental, even towards oneself. He had grown (somewhat) used to Jiyeol; it wasn't that much of a problem anymore, not after these almost two months. Rather than being jealous of Jongdae, it seemed to him that... Well, Jongdae and Baekhyun were both so likeable... Maybe he was just unconsciously scared they'd like each other too much... They really were very much alike, after all, and...

He did not want to lose any of them.

So that's what it was, hm...

"How long have you been back here?" He asked, all these thoughts having taken no more than a couple of seconds of silence. "Yixing-ssi only mentioned it to me right after I came."

"Dunno, about 20 minutes? Something like that."

"Don't you want a drink?"

"You were so busy, I didn't want to bother."

"I see." He folded his arms. "And what are you doing there?"

"I was just checking the last posts on the Café's profile. The posts we boosted had a really good performance~ Maybe we should do it again."

Minseok studied him carefully. Baekhyun seemed deeply concentrated, his eyes focused on the screen of his laptop in front of him. Deeming it safe, Minseok stepped back with discretion, till he could catch sight of the whole back booth. Jongdae was sitting, face buried on his arms on top of the table, profoundly asleep. Minseok knew he slept like a log, especially during the day, so he wasn't too worried their voices might wake him up ― but it just might so happen that he could naturally wake up at any moment. It was better to take Baekhyun out of there. For now, at least.

"Wouldn't it be better to do that over the weekend?"

"Hm, I'm not too sure..." He scratched his chin. "Some people say the reach's larger on weekdays, some say it's weekends."

"Well, we don't have to decide it right now. Is there anything else we have to do today?"

Baekhyun shook his head. "I've already done everything in the time it took you to come here."

"Then," he walked up to Baekhyun and tapped on his shoulder, "why don't you sit at the counter with me? It's too busy and I won't be able to stay here much longer. If you're there, we can talk."

The boy looked at him, considered the proposition for a bit, then closed his laptop and put it back in his backpack.

"Alright. If the owner thinks it's not a problem, who am I to say so~"

Minseok rolled his eyes before opening the door to him. After Baekhyun left, Minseok took one last glance in the direction of the back booth, then followed.

That had been it for him, his moment of realization. Since he was confident in his relationship with Jongdae, his being afraid Baekhyun and Jongdae might like each other better than both liked him could only mean one thing: that his feelings for Baekhyun had already turned into love. Had they been any weaker than that, the thought of his relationship with Jongdae crumbling would have never even crossed his mind. His feeling of guilt was yet another indicator. In a way, he could see it was some twisted logic, but so was the way of his feelings; he could do nothing but accept it.

As with everything, the moment Minseok realized it was the moment he decided to take action. That same night, he talked to Jongdae about it: that he thought he had someone else he loved, too, although he couldn't be too sure until he tried it out. Jongdae, weirdly enough, was happy. He had been so happy having Jiyeol and him, he said; he wanted Minseok to experience the same as well.

Having gotten things in the open with Jongdae and obtaining his blessing, Minseok felt a lot better about his pursuit.

Baekhyun was just waiting for him to take the last step, wasn't he? Very well.

Next time Baekhyun came by the café was two days later, also in the afternoon. Fortunately, business was not as busy that day. Minseok gestured for him to go to the back, finished the orders he had taken upon himself to prepare, then turned to Yixing and told him he would most likely be busy for the rest of the day ― that he shouldn't bother him, unless it was a matter of utmost urgency. Yixing nodded, smiling, and didn't ask any questions.

After he got through the door, he lingered by it a while longer, the hand behind his back swiftly turning the lock.

Not that he planned on doing anything against Baekhyun's will ― he was just rather confident in the outcome, and did not want to take the risk of forgetting to lock the door later.

"You took your time," Baekhyun complained, pouting slightly, "I have some stuff I want to discuss with you, Hyung, so come here, quickly."

"Why the hurry today?" Minseok quirked an eyebrow at him. "Do you have to go somewhere afterwards?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just~ I've got a surprise for you. Come, sit."

Instead of sitting on the bench opposite Baekhyun, like he usually did, that day Minseok prompted him to move sideways a bit, then sat by his side. Their flirting had its ups and down in terms of how bold it was, and recently they had been on a downslope; perhaps for that reason, when their thighs brushed the tip of Baekhyun's ears flushed red, even though he managed to keep a straight face.

"So..." Minseok lightly ran his fingers along Baekhyun's leg before he placed his hand on his own knee. "What is this surprise that you have for me?"

"..." Baekhyun was really affected by his touch on his leg, and only came back to it after Minseok called him again. "Ah, y-yes, sorry, ahm- It's- Hm." He cleared his throat. "Here, Hyung. Ah, I should tell you, it's ok if you don't want to... I did it anyway, but if in the end you'd rather not, I haven't activated it yet, so..."

The barista had been rather focused on his plan of confessing to Baekhyun up to that point, but all that suspense got him interested. He perked his ears, looking at the other in anticipation, a cute anxious expression on his face.

"So... This." Baekhyun opened a page and turned the laptop in his direction. "You'd mentioned wanting this once, Hyung, so..."

Minseok leaned forward, analyzing the content in front of his face. It was, simply put, a page for online delivery. It followed the same layout as the website they had developed, but there were also links to the most popular delivery apps at the bottom. Their whole menu was there, with rather professional-looking pictures of all their drinks, pastries, cakes and sandwiches.

"Yixing-ah helped me," he explained. "I lent him my camera and he took photos of everything. Doesn't it look neat? I wasn't expecting too much, to be honest, but it seems he has a knack for photography."

He was, simply put, mesmerized. He had dreamed of making delivery for so long; yet, the technology was expensive, he didn't know anyone who could help him set it up either, and he couldn't afford hiring a consultant.

Minseok had planned on teasing Baekhyun slowly, perhaps make him be the first to confess (as he was sure he would); seeing what he had done, however, was just too much - he felt too overwhelmed, gratitude and love and desire both melting and exploding his heart to a thousand pieces, and all of a sudden he just couldn't hold back anymore.

The hand on his leg moved to Baekhyun's knee and he squeezed it, at the same time as his other hand circled his neck and pulled him closer for a kiss.

Even though he had been decisive, his actions were not forceful; the touch on Baekhyun's neck was firm, but left plenty of room for resistance. It was Baekhyun himself who leaned in and closed the distance, sealing their mouths together.

There was no indecisiveness, no uncontrolled eagerness in Minseok's actions. Even though he had been looking forward to it, even though he was impulsive at times and even though he was actually already rock-fucking-hard, he was also very assertive about how he'd like things to go. He kept their mouths pressed together, lips moving ever so slightly as the hand on Baekhyun's knee crawled up bit by bit, despairingly slow, Minseok's little finger digging into the inside of Baekhyun's thigh like he had no worry or hurry in the world.

As Minseok's fingernails scraped the skin on Baekhyun's nape, the singer couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a small moan. Minseok's lips curved into a smile.

"Baekhyun-ssi... Baekhyun-ah," he breathed, running his nails once more alongside his neck as the hand on his thigh went up an inch. Baekhyun shivered from head to toe. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you. Can you guess what it is?"

"I-I..." His voice was quivering, but the poor boy tried his best. "I think... I would prefer... If you told me yourself..."

Minseok traced Baekhyun's upper lip with his tongue, then kissed the corner of his mouth. "But that's no fun, Baekhyun-ah." He reached Baekhyun's right ear, licked the upper curve of it. "Try harder."

Baekhyun's hands were desperately searching for something to grip onto, but the material of the bench was pure leather ― slick and smooth, with no creases or loose surfaces. He ended up clutching onto the fabric of his jeans on his right thigh (the one Minseok was not unhurriedly moving upwards), a last effort to restrain the excitement boiling his blood. The movement did not escape Minseok's predatory eyes. His mouth moved lower; kissed the skin behind his ear.

"Come on, Baekhyun-ah. I'm waiting, you know..." One stronger breath, and the warm air blew down, from his nose to Baekhyun's obviously sensitive neck. A small whimper rolled out of his throat.

"P-perhaps..." the boy started, trembling, "...You want to tell me... You really liked the online ordering thing?"

"Well, I _did_ indeed like it," he placed a soft kiss on Baekhyun's hairline, "but that's not it."

"Then... The website?"

"Hm," he nuzzled against Baekhyun's hair, smelled the fresh scent of shampoo. He must have showered that morning. "You're getting colder."

He spread his palm over Baekhyun's left thigh and squeezed it, after bringing his hand up yet another inch.

"Ah, w-well," the singer trying to throw his head back, to rest it against the bench behind it, but Minseok's touch on his neck kept him in place. "T-Then, Hyung, I think it would... Ah, it would really be more meaningful... For you to t-tell me y-yourself..."

"Like I told you... No fun." He spoke against Baekhyun's nape (voice just loud enough for him to catch his words); shivers ran all through the boy's body, and it was only Minseok's hands that kept him in place.

"Hyung... Minseok-ssi..." Baekhyun moaned, the knuckles of his right hand white from how hard he was gripping to his jeans, "i-is it the case, then... That y-you... AH," the barista had bit the skin of his neck, just nibbled at it really, but he was _that_ sensitive, "t-that you... like me... a bit?"

Minseok stopped the movements of his mouth, but the hand on Baekhyun's thigh crawled up yet more, his little finger lightly scraping again his crotch ― just too, too lightly. "Ah, you almost got it, Baekhyun-ah... You got it wrong by a small detail, really..."

Except for his hand, he wasn't really doing anything anymore. Just his speaking against Baekhyun's neck area, however, was already enough to make him wriggle under him ― desperate for some kind of outlet, of _release_.

Baekhyun took in one deep breath, then said, with an airy voice, "...You... like me?"

Hand secured in place on Baekhyun's thigh, Minseok raised his head, his other hand coming to cup Baekhyun's face. "Almost correct... But it's enough." He brushed his nose against the other's, his eyes never leaving Baekhyun's half-lidded ones, brimming with desire.

"I love you, Baekhyun-ah."

Baekhyun's whole face reddened.

"What about you?"

He stared at Minseok for a second, then closed his eyes and leaned in, brushing his lips against his. "I love you, Kim Minseok-Hyung."

Nodding as if he had been expecting that answer, Minseok tilted his head and kissed Baekhyun again ― this time with a bit more intensity, a bit more heat, opening his mouth and prompting him to do the same. Baekhyun closed his eyes and melted into his hold. His hand that had been gripping hard onto his pants moved to the side, covering Minseok's that had been resting near his crotch, and he squeezed it lightly before trying to push it upwards.

"In a hurry, are we?" Minseok teased, half-laughing, but complying all the same. He ran his fingers over his jeans, then unbuttoned it and opened the zipper ever so slowly.

"Been in a hurry since I first saw you," Baekhyun answered as he leaned on the bench's and tilted his head back, the exposed skin a clear invitation for Minseok to dig his teeth into.

Baekhyun had clearly found some strength back to be saucy again. Minseok did not dislike it ― the way his dick throbbed when the other teased him was more than enough proof of that. He was, however, determined on turning Baekhyun into an incoherent mess that day, so having him run his mouth was not really within his plans.

He caressed Baekhyun's dick over his underwear as he licked a long line along the boy's exposed neck, then tugged his earlobe with his teeth. Baekhyun was already trembling all over, even though the both of them still had most of their clothes on... _Cute_. He sucked and bit his earlobe once before his lips continued moving, his tongue outlining the downside of Baekhyun's jawline.

His hand that had been cupping Baekhyun's face found its way onto the boy's chest. He fumbled a bit around the sweatshirt's fabric until he was able to find the small bud hiding underneath. When he pinched it, even over those layers of clothing, Baekhyun keened, his back arching unconsciously in response. _So he's also sensitive around here_ , Minseok delighted as he massaged the bud again, feeling it turn harder under his touch. So many layers though...

"Aren't we too clothed, Baekhyun-ah?" He whispered against Baekhyun's Adam's apple, licking the skin there as well. When the singer nodded weakly, Minseok took a step back, actually rising from the bench, and sat himself on the opposite bench. Baekhyun just blinked at him, both confused and bothered by the sudden absence of stimuli on his body. "Why don't you show me that body you've been hiding in sweatshirts for so long?"

Truth be told, Baekhyun _had_ visited the café with some different outfits at times, mostly when he was not coming from home but from somewhere instead. Minseok had already seen him with fitted shirts, stylish jackets, even leather pants, which all gave him some kind of idea over what Baekhyun's style was like when he was not dressed like a homebody. Nevertheless, that was not how he typically remembered him. The Baekhyun from most days wore sweatshirts that covered him up to the upper part of his thighs and jeans or sweatpants that were not that wide, but not that revealing either. That was how Baekhyun was dressed at the moment as well, which allowed for the perfect way for his memories and his fantasies to mesh. it was _that_ Baekhyun that was going to get undressed for him; _that_ Baekhyun that he was going to kiss and fuck stupid.

Baekhyun stood up, wavering a little as his legs were still weak from excitement. His long, beautiful fingers found the elastic band of his sweatshirt and he pulled it up, his hair getting as disheveled as the collar rubbed against his neck. He was wearing an equally oversized T-shirt underneath. He glanced at Minseok, who was ogling him thoroughly, then removed that piece of clothing as well, revealing a hairless soft chest and a tiny belly.

"Baekhyun-ah, you're so fucking hot," Minseok growled as he watched him with hungry eyes, running them over the expanse of the now uncovered skin. "Come here."

The singer seemed pleased. "One more piece left, though," he jested as he kicked his sneakers away along with his socks. His fingers lingered around the band of his jeans for a second, teasingly, before he pushed them down as well.

Minseok's expression turned more intense as he drew closer. As soon as Baekhyun got within reach, Minseok's hands were all over him, feeling him up from his thighs to his waist to his arms. Baekhyun stood up in front of Minseok just like that, relishing in surrendering completely to his touches ― silent moans leaking out from his mouth as those hands explored his skin for the first time, even more in anticipation as Minseok leaned forward to kiss his abdomen.

Just as he was about to do it, however, Minseok stopped, his attention drawn to a couple of purplish marks alongside Baekhyun's clavicle. Some were quite faded already, more yellowish than purple, but others still seemed fresh. Hickeys.

Baekhyun followed the direction Minseok's eyes were gazing at, and he remembered.

"Uhm, it might be a little late to say this, but I hope you don't mind that I'm going out with another guy..." He explained, a little embarrassed. "It's not an exclusive relationship though, so I'm not cheating on him or anything."

"I see. I don't mind, I was just surprised." The barista rested his chin on Baekhyun's tummy and looked up. "I should have mentioned earlier about this too, my bad. In my case, I have a boyfriend who I've been with for a long time. He's also ok with it."

Baekhyun had suspected as such; there was no way in the world someone as attractive as Minseok would be single. "An open relationship?" He suggested.

"Well..." He thought for a bit. It was not actually an open relationship in the strict sense, but for most people in Korea, that most likely would be the easiest way to explain. Besides, it sort of seemed like that was the kind of relationship Baekhyun was with that other guy. "Yeah, something like that."

"As expected of someone as cool as Hyung," he half-mocked him, tangling his hand in Minseok's hair. "I'm glad you brought it up before we did anything more serious. It would've been a problem if it was a deal-breaker for you and we only talked about it afterwards."

Minseok smiled. "Yeah. I'm glad you're ok with me having a boyfriend too." He closed his eyes and kissed the middle of Baekhyun's chest. He was a bit surprised: he didn't know that many people in non-monogamous relationships before, and now that he was in one he'd just found yet someone else. Was it becoming a trend in Korea?

Anyway, it was a good thing for him ― he had actually not considered that possibility, but there could indeed have been a problem if Baekhyun had expected them to be regular boyfriends ―, so he didn't think much more about it. Luckily, everything turned out well.

Now that he was only in his underwear, Baekhyun's quivering as Minseok kissing his chest was more evident. His legs looked as if they were about to collapse under him; hence, Minseok scrambled a bit forward in the bench till his legs were outside the booth area and pulled Baekhyun onto his lap, straddling them. In this position, it was also easier to reach the upper part of his torso. Minseok had declared he was not bothered by those hickeys, but he should have said he would be more at ease once he had left some of his own. As soon as Baekhyun was sitting, Minseok's latched onto one of the yellower ones, adding a new purple layer in the bruised skin.

One hand on each side, Baekhyun held onto his shoulders, his head canted forward till his forehead rested awkwardly on the top of Minseok's head. Baekhyun's breathing was ragged, a mixture of moans and gasps as Minseok made his way throughout his chest with his mouth, each of his hands busy with one of Baekhyun's nipples and alternating between pressing, pinching and simply massaging them.

Baekhyun's hips bucked onto Minseok a couple of times as he searched for some kind of friction down there as well, especially when the barista decided he had had enough with his chest and his mouth returned to his sensitive neck, sucking hard onto its base. At that reaction, one of Minseok's hands got down and attached itself to the juncture between his hip and his leg, keeping him locked in place. They looked about the same size at first, but it was obvious from his grip how much stronger Minseok were, even if his muscles were not visible ― he was still in white shirt and dress pants from work (he had removed his apron upon entering the room).

The hands that had been grasping onto Minseok's shoulders as if to a lifeline weakly traveled to the front of his white shirt, attempting to unbutton it but failing rather miserably as Minseok once more breathed onto and licked his neck, mindful enough that Baekhyun couldn't have hickeys in overtly exposed parts of his body due to his work. Taking note of what he was trying to do, Minseok put his arms behind himself and reclined back just a bit, letting Baekhyun finish opening his shirt. As his muscular chest came into view, Baekhyun appeared to be in a daze, one of his lean fingers following the patterns on Minseok's abdomen.

"Holy _shit_ ," he gasped, "I don't think I've ever hooked up with someone this muscular before."

Minseok wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Do you like it?"

The boy's back curved as he bent down and brushed his face against Minseok's chest. "I fucking love it."

His hips bucked again; Minseok could feel how hard he was, a tiny wet spot in the front of his underwear that had not been there before revealed his pre-cum was already leaking. Even though Minseok's stamina was particularly great (even more considering he had sex on the regular and therefore never had too much pent-up sexual energy), he couldn't help admitting he, too, was eager to progress to the next step. Baekhyun was just too sexy right now, face looking ravished with swollen lips and half-lidded eyes, red marks covering the upper half of his body. A whole meal.

Without warning, Minseok straightened up, grabbed Baekhyun's ass and rutted their dicks against one another. Baekhyun cried out at the abrupt contact, then bit back a particularly loud moan, breath shallow and short.

The barista pulled him closer and kissed him again as his hands caressed Baekhyun's ass and thighs. He rested his hands at the upper part of Baekhyun's legs, only his thumbs playing with the hem of his boxers, pulling it up more and more as they crawled under the fabric till they reached his groin. It was the softest of touches, just a brush of the tip of his thumbs against the sides of Baekhyun's dick, but the singer was already too worked up; his body shuddered all over as a curse escaped his lips, a larger damp patch showing up in the front of his underwear.

"This seems a good moment to ask," Minseok whispered against his ear. "What do you prefer? Bottom or top?"

Baekhyun bucked his hips, trying to get Minseok's thumbs to brush against his dick again, but the barista had already removed his hands from his underwear. "Please fuck me," he whimpered, " _now_ ", for added emphasis.

With a lopsided smile, Minseok gently took the other off his lap and pushed his boxers down. He stood up right after to remove his own pants and underwear, finding it rather amusing how dumbfounded Baekhyun looked as he watched him strip, the boy's eyes running from his toned thighs to his abdomen to his dick like he was admiring some work of art at the Louvre.

With a light touch to his waist, Minseok's conduct him to the bench again, making him get up on the leathered surface. Although confused, the singer complied and sat on his heels, eying him with a hungered but curious expression. Minseok left him in that position for a while as he went to one of the cupboards on the opposite wall; he hunched and opened one door, foraging through the stuff inside till he found what he was looking for: a bottle of lube and a box of condoms.

He left the two items on top of the table, then stood right at the edge of the bench, facing Baekhyun.

"Baekhyun-ah," he croaked, eyes darkened with unspoken desire, "will you suck me?"

The boy looked at Minseok's dick, right in front of him, and seemed rather eager to do it, but something made him hesitate. Minseok scouted his expression for a second before he added with a lewd smile, "don't worry, I'm not gonna come just from that. You've asked me to, so be assured, I _will_ fuck you till you can't walk straight."

That was enough for Baekhyun to lurch forward, supporting his weight on his palms, and take Minseok deep into his mouth.

Minseok inhaled sharply, then held his breath for a while before exhaling at a much slower pace. His eyes were fixated on where Baekhyun's pinkish lips met his dick, on the wet trail they left behind as he sucked him in and out; he placed his right hand over Baekhyun's head and patted him softly, encouraging him to continue. Not long afterwards, however, his controlled breath had already turned quite heavy. He coiled Baekhyun's hair around his fingers and pulled it slightly, prompting his head to tilt back, the new angle allowing him to fuck deeper into Baekhyun's mouth. Once more, the boy eagerly complied, aroused moans vibrating from his throat and into Minseok's dick.

"Fuck Baekhyun-ah, you're so good at this." He could feel Baekhyun humming around his dick. "Such a good boy for me, aren't you?" His own breath hitched at a sudden movement from Baekhyun's tongue, flickering against the underside of his dick.

 _Damn_ , he really was good.

He removed his hand from the singer's hair, who hesitated a bit before he heard the lube bottle being popped open and picked up with renovated energy. Minseok dropped the viscous liquid around his left fingers and bent forward, reaching for Baekhyun's asshole. When he pressed the first finger against it, his eyes widened the slightest bit, a smile springing to his face. _He won't need that much preparation after all_ , he thought as the first finger slipped easily inside, then the second. He should have expected it, considering Baekhyun had told him he had another partner; yet, he was surprisingly turned on, not off, by the realization.

"You're already so loose, I think I could've put it in right from the beginning," he rasped against the small of Baekhyun's back, "but I bet you'll be tight inside around my cock." At that, he curled his fingers that had been pumping into Baekhyun.

The boy almost choked, releasing a small, ragged whimper as Minseok removed his fingers and straightened up in front of him. Minseok's dick plopped out of his mouth, a long string of saliva still connecting the two for a while before it fell when Baekhyun had gotten too far, sitting up as he gawked at the barista and waited.

Minseok observed him for a second: his flushed cheeks, his disheveled hair, lips reddened and wet, eyes dark with want, dick hard and leaking. He couldn't see it from that angle, but he knew his hole was also loose and dripping with lube, just ready to be fucked, and he considered his self-control up to that point had already been good enough.

Any more waiting, let alone Baekhyun ― _he_ would be coming untouched just from the sexual tension they had built up.

Wordlessly, he helped Baekhyun turn around, one knee on the bench, the other foot on the floor, as he himself continued to stand at the edge. He kissed Baekhyun's spine between his shoulder blades first ― a soft, reassuring touch that served to remind the other that, despite any roughness, that was how he truly felt ― before putting on the condom, dropping some more lube over his dick and lining it to Baekhyun's hole with one of his hands.

Minseok didn't trust at once; instead, he entered Baekhyun inch by inch, slowly, so that the boy could feel himself being filled up. When Baekhyun threatened to arch forward as he shivered and some of his strength left his body, Minseok wrapped his arms around him, pulling his back flush against his chest.

"You're so tight around me, babe," Minseok growled. "Wanna fuck you so bad."

"Feels so good with you inside me," he answered weakly, tilting his head back and kissing Minseok's cheek. "Please fuck me, Hyung~"

Well, no need to ask twice.

Holding Baekhyun tightly against him, Minseok started moving his hips ― slowly, tentatively at first as he tried to find what angle and rhythm worked for Baekhyun best, then with more strength once he managed to find the position that would get the boy to shiver at every thrust, a litany of curses mixed with Minseok's name flowing continuously from his pretty little mouth. Minseok's arms were coiled around him like a snake, keeping him in place as his thrusts got harder and deeper. Without weakening his grip or losing rhythm, he managed to move one of his hands to one of Baekhyun's sensitive nipples and pinched it.

Baekhyun cried out, his inner walls instantly tightening around Minseok's dick.

"Shh. You still remember there are people on the other side of that door, don't you?" Minseok teased him, kissing his shoulder. He took his right hand to Baekhyun's face with the intention of pressing his fingers against his lips, but was surprised when the singer put two of them into his mouth and sucked them against his tongue. "It seems someone here has an oral fixation," he teased again, although his tone clearly demonstrated he was far from being displeased ― as did the blood that had run straight down to his dick, making its pulsations even the more evident.

Baekhyun was completely surrendered, his legs only a frail support as his whole body went limp with the ever-increasing pleasure building up in his groin. Minseok held him firmly, one arm wrapped around his torso and playing with his nipple, the other hand's fingers sitting heavily on Baekhyun's tongue, his thrusts now fast and rough as he also approached his climax.

"Baekhyun-ah, gonna come," he grunted, sensing the characteristic tension setting in his crotch.

When Baekhyun nodded slightly, the tiny movement of his head all he could manage, Minseok moved the arm that had been wrapping him down; his hand gripped tightly around Baekhyun's dick and started moving up and down immediately, in sync with Minseok's now hasty thrusts. It only took a few pumps for Baekhyun to come undone on his hand, just seconds after Minseok had come as well.

The singer trembled; he had been leaning against Minseok for a while, but now it truly felt like he had let go, the whole weight of his body thrown against Minseok. It was not hard for the barista to hold him, however; he was quite strong, and Baekhyun was quite light, after all. When he came back from his high, Minseok left a trail of butterfly kisses alongside the line of Baekhyun's shoulders, then nuzzled his face against the center of his back.

"Love you lots," he murmured, voice dull against his skin.

Baekhyun chuckled feebly, voice a bit hoarse (most likely from Minseok's face fucking back then). "Love you more, Hyung."

⚞⚟

Baekhyun peeked at the pan from over his shoulder. His face lit in admiration.

"You're surprisingly good at cooking, Jongdae-yah."

"It's not me who's good, it's you who's below average," Jongdae retorted, one eyebrow quirked at him. "I mean, someone who doesn't even know how to fry an egg... That's something."

Baekhyun put on his best sad puppy face. "It's because I left home early, so my mother could never teach me~"

"You've been living by yourself for years, how come you've never learned even the basics!" Jongdae was unyielding as he brandished the bamboo spatula at him.

"That's not quite right, I lived in dorms...", he pouted, "and the managers always cooked for us..."

Jongdae glowered at him for a second more, as if he was not about to let him off the hook that easily ― but then his puffed chest just deflated and he turned to the stove, back to stirring the content of the pan.

"You know, it's not that I'm judging you," he explained, already back to his usual temperament, "I mean, maybe just a bit, not gonna lie, but it's just... You can't just eat out every day, no matter how much money you have. It's not healthy. You should cook at home more."

"Ah, Jongdae-yah, always so thoughtful~" he poked at Jongdae's shoulder, then leaned against the kitchen counter. "That's why I like you so much." Baekhyun snickered when he noticed that the tips of Jongdae's ears had turned pink. "No way, you're still getting embarrassed about that?" His awkward silence was even better than an actual spoken response; Baekhyun laughed madly (just to tease him) before he hugged him from behind, resting his chin on Jongdae's right shoulder. "Then let me say it again: I like you. I _like_ you. I like like like like LIKE you. I love y-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, I got it!" His whole face was bright red now. Baekhyun knew he shouldn't go too far, but he just couldn't help chuckling again. Jongdae turned off the burner, covered the pan and turned around; Baekhyun did not move much beyond giving him the space necessary for such movement, which meant he was caging him against the kitchen counter now (he had one hand on each side of the marble surface, giving him no chance of escape), the cooktop behind Jongdae (but at a safe distance, rest assured).

He smiled cheekily at Jongdae, who simply pouted at him in response. It was just _so_ fun to tease him, Baekhyun couldn't help it. Jongdae was capable of producing quite embarrassing love confessions at times, but he was absolutely awkward at expressing his feelings in casual contexts. For their one-month, and later their 100-days anniversary, he had made a reservation at a fancy restaurant once, booked a one-day trip to the beach on the other; on both occasions, he had made quite the emotional speech about their love being like a flower that had bloomed, about wanting to cross the galaxy with him, about how beautiful he was under the moonlight - and all of that was lovely, really, and Baekhyun really appreciated it, but how come he was embarrassed about saying things like "I like you" when they met in their daily lives and not about saying things like that?!

That was unfathomable to him, really, one of the very few aspects in which they were complete opposites. Nevertheless ― still a great source of teasing material.

Besides, no matter how embarrassed he got, Jongdae would never fail to reply, and of course Baekhyun was more than glad to hear it.

Cornered against the counter, Jongdae raise his eyes, batting his eyelashes at him, still quite red on his face. "I... like you, too, Jiyeol-ah..." _Ugh,_ Baekhyun liked him so much!

He projected his knee forward, fitting it between Jongdae's legs and spreading them. His hands, that had up to that moment been resting on the counter, came to rest on Jongdae's waist. The other shivered, as they were of course cold, being splayed on marble for so long; that, and of course due to the fact they were mostly naked, only in their underwear.

It was just a usual Friday night, and that was their routine.

Ever since they'd started dating, they had tried to meet at different times of the week. As Jongdae had to go home at night during the week ― besides seeing his boyfriend, he also needed to prepare the material for his classes ―, and as Baekhyun's busiest time of the week were actually the weekends (when he'd record his most profitable live streams), it had ended up being the case that the best time for them to meet was indeed before and after their performances on Friday. After Jongdae slept over at his apartment for the first time some weeks after they'd started dating, it had become their habit ― to the point Jongdae already had some spare clothes in a drawer and a toothbrush in the bathroom.

They had to make the most of that single day they got to spend together every week, so it most likely came as no surprise to Jongdae when Baekhyun's hand trickled down to his ass and squeezed it lightly, even though they'd just done it not even an hour ago (after which Baekhyun had dozed off, and Jongdae had come to fix dinner). Baekhyun pecked him on the lips, then on his cheek, before proceeding to kiss his neck.

Jongdae sighed, seemingly trying to concentrate.

"Jiyeol-ah, before... Ah... Before we go on..." He did his best to push Baekhyun at least a little bit away, but he stubbornly refused to back off. "I'm serious, there is... Ah... Something I want to talk t-to you about."

Much against his will, Baekhyun stopped and stepped back. Jongdae didn't usually say that kind of thing, so it probably was not a joke.

"Let's sit down on the couch, then. You're going to get a cold if you stand here for much longer."

He nodded. "Alright. And then we're going to have dinner. What, don't give me that face- I'm just trying to take care of you!"

Baekhyun grumpily led them to the couch in the living room, then covered them both with a blanket. Jongdae rested his head on his shoulder, their hands linked together lying on their thighs; and Baekhyun thought he just couldn't be in a bad moment under those conditions. Baekhyun nuzzled his face onto Jongdae's hair ― it smelled like citrus, a bright and refreshing smell.

"So, we've been dating for almost four months, so I thought... You know, that I'd like you to meet my boyfriend. My other boyfriend, I mean."

Oh. It might come across as impossible, but Baekhyun most of the time would almost forget about him. As Jongdae had explained to him at some point, they had an agreement that Jongdae was not supposed to reveal any information about him to Baekhyun (for some weird-ass reason) ― not even his name. Apparently, at first it was because the guy was a bit paranoid, and thought Baekhyun might be dangerous in some kind of way. After Baekhyun and Jongdae had been dating for a month, of course that possibility decreased substantially; but, then, Jongdae reported that his boyfriend thought it would be awkward if, whenever they met, they already knew much about each other even though they'd never met, or something like that ― and therefore preferred Jongdae to continue not talking about each with the other.

Hence, the occasions in which Jongdae would bring him up were very few and rare, and Baekhyun very often just simply forgot he existed ― or, rather, he was a very faint presence, kind of like a celebrity he sometimes saw on TV but that had no physical materiality in his mind.

Truth be told, even though Baekhyun thought it was weird, he unconsciously had mimed that same approach with Minseok as well: perhaps because Minseok also never mentioned his boyfriend, Baekhyun ended up never talking to him about Jongdae, and never talking _about_ him to Jongdae, either. It was the weirdest situation, but it somehow worked out since they all never ran into each other and Baekhyun's relationship with those two was still in its early stages ― which meant no family meetings and, obviously, no living together. He had been dating Jongdae for about three months and a half; Minseok, for a little over a month. Since he saw Minseok more often, and he had that room at the back they could use (for, uhm, their _intimacy_ ), Minseok had never come to his apartment, which most likely also made him forget about Baekhyun's other boyfriend’s existence.

Overall, it was a pretty convoluted situation. Baekhyun, however, simply felt it was not his place to take action, considering both Minseok and Jongdae had been dating their boyfriends for longer; any initiative should come from them, when they were ready.

"Do you think he'll be ok with that?" he asked cautiously, despite his inner excitement. To finally untie at least one knot of that rope...!

"Yeah. Actually, I've already talked to him about it." Baekhyun couldn't see Jongdae's face, but he got the feeling he was smiling. "He said he's looking forward to meeting you, too. He has more things to say and apologize for, but I shouldn't speak in his name, I think."

"Wow, really?!" He wrapped his arms around Jongdae's shoulders and pulled him into a hug against his chest. "That's really great, Jongdae-yah! I'm also excited about meeting Jongdae's six-year boyfriend in person." He sighed. "Now I feel like introducing you to my other boyfriend as well. If you think about it, with me and you and your boyfriend and each of our other boyfriends, aren't we five? We could be a basketball team."

"Hm, based on the three I know out of that batch, I'd say basketball is impossible. Our average height is too low."

"Oh, does that mean that Mr. mysterious boyfriend is not tall as well?"

"Oops!" Jongdae raised his arms in mock punishment. "I said too much."

They both chuckled. Still with his arms around Jongdae, Baekhyun left his body fall back till his head rested on the arm of the couch. Jongdae lay on his chest, his head propped on his elbows.

"For real though, Jongdae-yah," Baekhyun caressed his cheek with the back of his fingers, ever so softly, "I'd really love to meet him. He's your family, after all." He looked up, thinking. "Although the rest of your family ― I'd like to meet them, but it might be complicated to explain."

"No kidding! I can't even imagine how they'd react." Baekhyun studied his expression for a moment, while Jongdae just stared back at him with a confused expression. "What?"

"Do... Do your parents know about you and your boyfriend?" He asked cautiously again.

Jongdae's expression softened as he understood the source of Baekhyun's concern. "Yeah. Fortunately, after the initial shock, they were able to accept it. Me having an older brother who's already married with kids helped too, I think, since it took off the pressure of giving them grandchildren and stuff." He tilted his head. "You?"

"Exactly the same! Aren't we always?" he laughed. "But yeah, I feel that too. When I came out to my family, my brother hadn't gotten married yet. It was not too bad, but I felt like my parents were always expecting me to say I had found a girlfriend or changed my mind." He rubbed his nose, frowning slightly. "After he got himself a wife, though, the mood at home got unexpectedly lighter and they stopped mentioning it. I suppose my financial success also helps."

"Hey," Jongdae punched him mockingly on his chest, "don't brag!"

Baekhyun laughed.

"...What about your boyfriend?" He knew he was not supposed to inquire after him, but since they were on that topic... Also, it would help him not make any off-putting remarks when they met.

Jongdae didn't think much and answered right away. "His family... was unfortunately less receptive, to put it lightly." He scrambled up a bit on Baekhyun's chests, till their faces were closer and they could look each other in the eyes easier. "He has a sister, but since he's the oldest and the only boy, his father was the one who was bothered the most. It's not to the point they deserted him, but they never talk about it, and generally pretend they don't know anything about it. When we go to their house on special holidays, for example, they still put us to sleep in different rooms ― can you believe it?"

"Geez. I feel sorry for him." That family was certainly missing out on a lot ― having a son-in-law like Jongdae, how much luckier could they get? "But now, imagine him getting home with not one, but _two_ boyfriends..."

"... I don't think he'll ever be able to tell. His father would have a heart attack."

"Who knows. Sometimes a shock like that is the best way to get over that kind of thing."

"Well, let's have _you_ suggest that to my boyfriend afterwards, when you two meet."

"Ok, ok, I didn't say anything!"

Jongdae laughed. Oh, god, how much Baekhyun _adored_ that laugh. He squeezed Jongdae's cheeks till his lips jutted out like a fish's and smooched him a couple of times, until Jongdae rolled off Baekhyun, laughing again.

Baekhyun turned onto his side, so that they were facing each other, and brought the original subject back again. "But really, just tell me the time and place, Jongdae-yah, and I'll be there. I'd really love to be able to get to know you better, your boyfriend included."

"Thanks, Jiyeol-ah." Jongdae pecked him on the lips once, brief and innocent; Baekhyun suddenly remembered his original motivation for having followed Jongdae to the kitchen, however, and his hands automatically searched for Jongdae's body, pulling him closer. "I'll talk to him and see when it'd be best, since he's also quite busy." He pretended to be unbothered, but Baekhyun knew him best.

"Sure~" He ran his fingers along Jongdae's hips, then his waist and rib cage, tracing the smooth line of his body, and the shiver that shook Jongdae from head to toe was visible even to the naked eye. "But don't I deserve a treat for being such an awesome boyfriend~?"

"Shut up," Jongdae whined again as he noticed there was no way he'd win. In fact, as his hard-on attested, he'd already lost.

"Why so mean~"

"Shut up..." he brushed his lips against Baekhyun's, "and kiss me."

"Oh." Baekhyun smiled lewdly. "That's more like it."

That was uncommon.

Throughout his life, it happened only a handful of times that Baekhyun would get nervous about social interactions outside work. He was naturally amiable, the kind of person who dissolved tensions rather than created them, who brought people together, who became friends with strangers in the most unexpected places. The very fact he had started a relationship with a café barista was proof of that aspect of his personality. Yet, despite his usual nerves of steel, at that moment he felt really miserable, and perhaps for the first time in his life understood the struggles of introverted people.

He was standing in front of the station, waiting for Jongdae.

They had arranged to meet Jongdae's boyfriend that evening. Normally, Baekhyun would have gone to Minseok's café that afternoon and stayed till he closed; the barista had told him, however, something had come up that day and Yixing would be at the café by himself, which in the end fitted perfectly with his own plans. Minseok didn't tell him what his plans were, neither did Baekhyun tell him about his own. Whenever they were this secretive, both knew it had something to do with their boyfriends, and did not dig into it any further.

Up to this point, he was still not quite sure what to think about Jongdae's mysterious boyfriend. According to the little information he had, the guy was a bit paranoid, possibly watched too many dramas, and most likely was the jealous type, considering he had been adamant about not even hearing about Baekhyun before. Besides, after he and Jongdae had gotten together for some time, the guy had even gotten himself another boyfriend too. Jongdae had reassured him it was not any kind of revenge; that they did not have an open relationship, but rather some _openness_ in the case they fell in love with someone else, and only in that case; but, considering the context, Baekhyun just couldn't be too sure. As much as he trusted Jongdae's judgment, he did tend to be naïve, even more so with the people he trusted.

That reminded him... His name. Even after all that time, he was really ashamed he had not had the guts to tell Jongdae he had lied about it - not only had done that, but had not cleared it up even after all that time. In his defense, the more time passed, the harder it got; he had also grown used to Jongdae calling him Jiyeol, so it did not even bother him when the two of them were together. He knew those were just bullshit excuses though. There was nothing more to it than him being a coward, no matter how good or legitimate his intentions had been in the beginning.

He supposed bringing that up during his first... date? Meeting? with Jongdae's boyfriend was not going to work in his favor, but there was no better moment for it, and he just could not wait any longer.

About that, he truly hoped he and the guy would get along, as he did not quite know what would happen if they didn't. So far, Jongdae had been managing them separately, living two completely detached lives. If they happened to come to hate each other, how long would Jongdae be able to live like that for? Would anything change? Was there a possibility Jongdae might break up with him if his longstanding boyfriend disliked him?

He had not had the heart to bring that up to Jongdae, since he was always so bright and positive and had been really looking forward to that night. Baekhyun had decided to do his best to get along with the guy, even if he was not a type he particularly liked. It would really be great if they could be friends and go out all together, not only the three of them but also Jongdae's boyfriend's other boyfriend and his Minseok. He was particularly sure Minseok and Jongdae would love each other; call it a gut feeling or whatever, he just sensed it deep in his heart that they had very compatible personalities.

If he and Jongdae's boyfriend did not get along, however, it would be more unlikely that any of those dreams could come true.

Jongdae arrived at the station at the precise time they had arranged to meet, still wearing his clothes from work ― what Baekhyun now called "ballad JD", since it was the kind of clothes ballad singers used to perform. This kind of formal attire just made him even the more attractive in Baekhyun's eyes (not more than his _naked_ self, though), so the boy let himself swoon over a bit before also walking in his direction.

"Hey Jiyeol-ah," Jongdae greeted, holding his hand and squeezing it lightly before letting go and pointing him the way as they walked.

"Hi," Baekhyun greeted back, pouting a bit. One thing he hated about meeting outdoors ― they had to be extra careful with their touches, and no kisses, and he _really_ wanted to kiss Jongdae right now (he always did).

"So, the restaurant is just about 5 minutes from here," Jongdae commented, gesturing vaguely ahead. "My boyfriend's already there."

"Can't you just tell me his name yet?"

"I think this is the first time I've seen you this nervous." Baekhyun thought he had been hiding it well... Seemed not. Jongdae smiled reassuringly. "Relax, there is really no need to. He's a great person, although I admit I may be too biased. Anyway, can't tell you because he asked me not to tell you. He wants to have a clean introduction ― whatever that is."

Well, he had already waited that long ― not like a couple more minutes would make any difference. On the brightside, at last all that mystery surrounding Jongdae's boyfriend would finally be dispelled; they would _finally_ be able to talk about Jongdae’s daily life (the aspects that included the guy), his past, how they'd met, and so many other elements of Jongdae's life that had so far been excluded from their conversations because of that weird agreement of theirs.

Baekhyun had decided to introduce Jongdae to Minseok as soon as possible, too. Even if Minseok and Jongdae's boyfriend did not want their own boyfriends to be part of their little family, Baekhyun wanted to restart his own relationship with Minseok and Jongdae from a clean slate, no more forbidden topics or secrecy. He felt it was the only way for their relationship to move forward, somehow.

They arrived at a traditional restaurant in a small street ― a narrow door that led to an equally narrow, albeit very long hallway, filled with tables for two at the front and bigger tables at the back. The decoration was simple and traditional: wood panels and lots of framed pictures and calligraphy paintings hanging on the walls wherever one looked. Baekhyun thought the place looked very much like Jongdae's style, then wondered if that was his boyfriend's taste as well.

"Do you see him?" Baekhyun asked, curious. There were a lot of people inside, so it was not easy to spot anyone at that moment, not even a guy sitting alone.

Although, there was one head that seemed a bit familiar...

Wait, why was Minseok there?!

Baekhyun's heart exploded in his chest. What were the odds that Minseok's engagement that day had brought him to that very same place?! He supposed there was no reason for him to be ashamed: he never lied to Minseok, the barista _knew_ he had another boyfriend, so that was a perfectly explainable event ― and yet his heart sped up at the possibility of those two, Jongdae and Minseok, meeting each other like that, out of the blue. _Calm down_ , his inner voice instructed him, and he did his best to regulate his breathing. Perhaps it was fate that had brought them together; fate that was working in his favor, making his plan of introducing his two boyfriends to each other be accomplished that much sooner.

Maybe it was actually a good thing. Yes, it was better to think like that. There was nothing to worry abou―

"Ah, there he is." Jongdae recognized his boyfriend with a smile, tugging Baekhyun by his wrist in his direction.

Alright. So, when they passed by Minseok, Baekhyun would tell him he would talk to him later and explain everything. He would tell Jongdae it was just some acquaintance at first, then see how their meeting would go, and if the mood was good, introduce Minseok to Jongdae. A perfect plan. They were even walking in Minseok's direction anyway, so he wouldn't have to ask Jongdae to make a detour.

His eyes quickly surveyed the area for another table with a single guy in the direction they were walking towards, but all he found were families sitting together or business partners. Weird... Where was Jongdae taking him?

Unless...

Oh god.

Unless...

Oh, god.

Un...Less...!

OH, GOD.

Minseok looked up and greeted someone ― but it hadn't been Baekhyun.

He had greeted _Jongdae_ with his warmest, most adorable gummy smile, eyes turning into crescents despite the obvious nervous look on his face. And then _their_ eyes had met, his and Minseok's, and they both had looked confused out of their minds for a minute before realization slowly sank in and their eyes widened.

Jongdae was the last to notice there was anything amiss, since Baekhyun had been standing behind him on the aisle between the tables. When he saw the change in expression in Minseok's face, his first instinct was to look back and search for its source elsewhere, beyond Baekhyun, towards the front of the restaurant; naturally, there was nothing unusual there, not even anybody standing that Minseok could've spotted as they arrived, so Jongdae turned back, examined his face again, and only then perceived Baekhyun's pale complexion and how those two seemed to be looking... At each other.

"Ah. Do you two, maybe, already know each other?" He questioned, quite surprised at that possibility.

Baekhyun was, simply put, out of words. He nodded weakly, without taking his eyes off of Minseok.

Being the oldest and most mature, it was the barista who regained his composure first. He cleaned his throat, then looked at his boyfriend _Jongdae_ , more perplexed than either Jongdae or Baekhyun had ever seen him.

"How to say this... Jongdae, this here is _my_ boyfriend, Byun Baekhyun."

Jongdae frowned. "That can't be right. He's my boyfriend, Lee Jiyeol." A fascinating scenario played out in Jongdae's mind: was it really possible... That those two were twins?! They did not, however, share the same surname, so could that really be? Or perhaps... Doppelgangers?!

The faces they'd made when they'd seen each other, though, did indicate Minseok and Jiyeol knew one another... Which could only mean one thing...

"Is this some kind of elaborate prank?" Minseok asked very, very calmly. He was so calm, in fact, that it felt unnatural, almost like Baekhyun was a criminal being interrogated. "Is this some kind of reality show for outing gays, or perhaps an act of revenge-"

"Shh, Hyung." Baekhyun rubbed his forehead, slightly frowning. "You watch way too many soap operas. Of course, it is nothing like that..."

Realizing they were in for a long conversation, Jongdae circled the table and sat down next to Minseok, before gesturing for Baekhyun to take a seat as well.

"So, what happened?"

"Well..." Baekhyun put his elbows on the table, staring mindlessly at the wooden surface, "you see..."

...

"... So you invented a fake name to avoid your fans?" Minseok concisely summed up while massaging his temples. "I get why you did it at first, but it was such a short-sighted decision. Do you realize how important a name is for an artist? Suppose you get really popular ― what were you planning to do, just going back to your original name and lose all the media traction and buzz you worked so hard to build up? Honestly..."

Baekhyun, indeed, hadn't really thought things that far, and blushed at the realization Minseok was right.

"Don't mind Hyung, Baekhyun-ah. After he got his Master's in Business and Marketing, he's been insufferable with this kind of thing," Jongdae gibed, flapping one of his hands in Minseok's direction to quiet him down. "Besides, that's hardly the point now. Even if you had your reasons at first, why didn't you tell me later? You... didn't trust me?"

Jongdae was pouting in an exaggerated way, tilting his eyebrows into a pitiful expression. If Baekhyun had been in his right state of mind, there was no way he wouldn't have noticed Jongdae was just being playful; as the whole situation had simply blown his mind, however, he was unable to pick up on the teasing, and despaired at what Jongdae's words were suggesting.

"Of course I trust you Jongdae-yah! I trust you both more than anyone else!" He reassured as he planted both his hands on the table, tense as a bowstring. "It was just... The more time passed, the more it felt awkward to tell you. To be honest, after you asked me to meet your boyfriend... Minseok-hyung today," he blushed, "I decided to tell you about it today too. I swear I was going to do it."

Next to Jongdae, who had just been teasing him and had indeed figured out something along these lines had happened, Minseok still looked bothered. He had clasped his hands in front of his mouth, deep in thought, as Baekhyun had been given his explanation; he remained in the same position now, except for his eyes that had looked up and were currently peering at him.

"We suspected this might be the case right from the beginning," he eventually stated, his tone a lot more perplexed and a lot less displeased than Baekhyun had been expecting. "Right after the first time you performed, we thought it was a weird coincidence... But then we concluded at the time it wasn't the same person and we never once again took the possibility into consideration." He rested his forehead on his clasped hands and sighed. "How was it that we came to that conclusion again? Besides the different names..."

"It was because Ji- I mean, Baek... Baekhyun-ah," Jongdae made a face as the word left his mouth, evidently not used to it, "had told me he lived close to the bar."

"But didn't you go to his apartment many times since then? How come you didn't realize you'd been lied to?"

Baekhyun scratched his neck. "Before inviting Jongdae over, I told him I had moved to a new apartment," he revealed, embarrassed.

"And I never mentioned it to you because you asked me not to talk about him," Jongdae added with a shrug.

The three of them looked at one another before they all collectively sighed again.

"Geez, we could've sorted this out from the beginning!" Now Minseok had turned from confused to frustrated. He slammed his first onto the table without much strength, lips pursed into a scowl. "We spent all this time... This whole time... Just going in circles..."

"You know, I don't think it was a bad thing in the end," Jongdae suddenly remarked. When the two turned their eyes to him, he continued. "I had been worried about setting up this meeting today because I was afraid Minseok and "Jiyeol" might not get along. Even if they do, I thought, even if it turns into a best-case scenario and they even fall in love with each other too (I thought it'd be great if it happened), wouldn't there always be insecurities in that relationship because of me being the link between the two? Like, either one of them thinking, 'do I really love him, or am I only interested in him because Jongdae is', you know ― this kind of logic. But with the way things turned out, we never had to worry about any of our feelings being insincere. We all fell in love with one another out of our own accord. Isn't that really fantastic?"

Neither of the other two spoke a word for what felt like a long time to Jongdae, although they did exchange some looks between them.

"Doesn't that bother you, Hyung? That he can deliver these speeches and say big words at this kind of occasion, but won't say a single 'I like you' (never mind 'I love you') before kissing you goodnight when you sleep together?"

"That's how he's always been," Minseok confided, not even trying to mask his teasing. "He's always been better at expressing himself in formal occasions than in everyday life. I have a list of all the metaphors he invented to express his feelings for me but can count on my fingers how many times a month he tells me he loves me."

"I know, right?" Baekhyun and Minseok chuckled together. "It is really annoying!"

"That's because... These words are precious, you know!" Jongdae whined. "I don't throw them around that easily! And! Two against one ― not fair!"

Minseok ran a hand by Jongdae's back, rubbing him lightly. "Aren't we always going to be three from now on? You better get used to it, love."

Out of all of them, Baekhyun had not thought those words would leave Minseok's lips first. Up to that point, he had actually been mildly afraid the barista might not forgive him for lying, that maybe his distrust towards him would be able to dissipate any love he may have felt in the past, to the point he might even ask Jongdae to break up with him as well, not willing to accept such a person as his boyfriend's partner. That he had come around was somewhat of a welcomed surprise; that he had gotten used to the idea of the three of them being a single item that fast was an even bigger shock.

Jongdae paused, seemingly startled, but that reaction did not last for long. Soon after he grasped for Minseok's other hand on the table and held it with one of his own.

"I... would be very happy to get used to that." He declared softly, then turned to the third person there. "But we haven't asked you, Ji-… Baekhyun-ah."

Minseok followed his train of thought. "Between the two of us, you thought what we had was an open relationship..."

"Yeah - that's why I didn't connect the two of you in my mind either! Since what each of you said about your relationship was different..."

"... With Jongdae, he told you the only other person he was dating was you, but he never asked you for exclusivity..." Minseok went on, completely ignoring him. "Between Jongdae and I, it was clear our new boyfriends - that is, you and your alter ego ― were the only two people we were willing to add to our relationship. Since that was just one person, you, in a way that made it easier for us..."

Jongdae snickered. "Minseok-hyung was dying of jealousy," _I was not!_ , "so now that I think about it, I'm glad my Jiyeol and his Baekhyun were the same person."

" _Anyway_ ," he glared at Jongdae, "on our side things seem pretty clear, but what about you, Baekhyun-ah? What kind of arrangement would you like us to have?"

"Aren't you gonna ask him first if he still wants to be with us? It might be too awkward..."

Still holding his hand, Minseok snorted loudly. "It is _so_ you to doubt others' feelings for you like that," he teased, voice laced with a layer of fondness.

Baekhyun felt such astonishment that he wondered whether his soul had left his body. He had always thought watching those two interact that way would forever be a fever dream; knowing now that it would not only be a common sight from now on, but that they had actually been together _for years_ , was more than his mind could grasp at that moment. He watched them in silence, feeling like the most he could do was blink and keep his mouth shut, until the conversation came to an inevitable halt as the two waited for his response.

Minseok was better at disguising what was going on in his head, but Jongdae was obviously anxious, fidgety in his seat, his fingers playing with Minseok's hand.

"If you feel like you can't answer yet, that's ok," he expressed, raising his other hand as if he planned to stretch that arm across to reach Baekhyun, but then stopped midway and laid it clumsily on the table. "If... If you want to date other people, too..."

"Listen." Baekhyun interrupted him, summoning all his courage. He already knew what he wanted, even when he was oblivious to their relationship. How would that change anything? "There is no way I'd want to date anyone else. Do you know how busy you two keep me? I see you, Minseok-hyung, some two or three times a week, then you, Jongdae-yah, on Friday and early Saturday, and on top of all that I have to take my singing classes _and_ plan and record all the material for my channel. In my case, I also have to play video games to upgrade my skills. It's a real work commitment." Minseok quirked an eyebrow at him, but now it was his time to ignore him. "Also, the emotional investment? Phew. You two are _so_ needy. How am I supposed to handle anyone else, you know? I'm only human."

Not to mention the _physical_ investment as well: he had been having sex with each of them some three or five times ― an unbelievable total of six to ten times a week! Even as a teenager (young adult if you will) he didn't have that much sex, and that was when his vital energy was at its peak. Now that he was already past 25, that was truly an amazing feat. He supposed that was partly because Minseok and Jongdae were so _fucking_ hot ― any dick would get up if it had the chance to bang _that_.

Besides, Baekhyun truly, genuinely loved them, which only made them that more attractive in his eyes.

"So, what are you really saying here?" Minseok asked again. That tease, _geez_!

"What I'm saying," he stretched one arm, holding onto the hand Jongdae had just laid on the table, "that I'd like," he stretched the other arm, grabbed Minseok's other hand, "to ask you two to be my exclusive boyfriends and to give me your unshared, undivided attention. Except between the three of us, of course."

Minseok smiled. Jongdae smiled as well.

"Well, unless one of us falls in love with someone else again," Baekhyun added, as an afterthought. "Can't really rule it out, since it was what brought us together... But like I said, you two are already such heavy work, I don't think my heart can handle yet another person... Although it _is_ too big for just one person, I guess. It'd feel empty without one of you."

The eyes looking at him now (those two pairs of dark, feline eyes) were brimming with mirth, affection, and something even more intense ― something Baekhyun felt he would never find the proper way to put into words. He could not see himself, but he could bet, in fact he _felt_ , the very same feelings were overflowing from his own eyes, and he hopes those two wonderful men in front of him noticed it.

Without taking his eyes off of Baekhyun, Jongdae raised the hand that had been holding onto his to his mouth and placed a long, soft kiss onto its back; Minseok imitated him, kissing Baekhyun's other hand softly, then brushed his nose against the damp skin.

"I'm glad you said that, because as cool as he wants to pretend he is, Hyung is actually really jealous," Jongdae mocked, chuckling wildly as Minseok let go of his hand to slap him on his shoulder. "If you went out with other people, I don't know how he would handle it."

"I am _not_ and he knows it!"

"Hyung... I have news for you," Baekhyun played along, serious, and Minseok pouted.

"It's not fair if you two gang up against me!"

The other two laughed.

"Minseokkie, since it's going to be the three of us now..."

"... You'd better get used to it."

"I'm coming with the beers!" Baekhyun screamed from the kitchen. "That TV'd better be on by the time I get there!"

Minseok rolled his eyes as he opened a bag of sweet-savory chips and handed the can of Pringles to Jongdae, who had just sat down on the other side of the couch after placing a cheese toast and a soda on the coffee table. Jongdae switched channels just as Baekhyun was sliding into the living room, the open cans of beer almost spilling as he hurried and plopped down on the couch between them.

"If you drip anything on the rug, _you_ 're gonna be the one to clean it," Minseok warned him.

"I know, I know, I've cleaned it all the other times," Baekhyun shushed him, eyes fixed on the screen as the opening credits for the show he'd been eagerly looking forward to started.

'What other times?!"

"If you didn't notice, Hyung, it's because he cleaned well enough, isn't it?" Jongdae replied as he crunched through his chips.

Minseok glowered at him; since the show had already started, however, he just sighed and let it go. He raised his beer in Jongdae's direction behind Baekhyun's back; Jongdae did the same from the other side of the couch, and after a toast, they both gulped down their cans.

Unaware of their actions ― or, perhaps, the more accurate description would be to say he was intent on not paying them any attention in the first place ―, Baekhyun had just taken a bite of his sandwich when something on the screen made him terribly excited.

"Look, look!" He called, pointing at the TV. "It's us!"

"Baekhyun-ah, the crumbs!" The barista whined again, seeing all the toasted bread flying from his mouth.

Neither Baekhyun nor Jongdae paid him much attention, though, as they both watched the TV with wide eyes.

Some time ago, a popular TV show had gotten in contact with the bar they performed at to arrange their participation in a special episode about amateur musicians; they had recorded their appearance the week before, and it was that episode that was airing at that precise moment. The TV crew had visited many bars and nightclubs, recorded even some street performers, so they knew their part would be short; nevertheless, it was still their first time on TV, and any visibility was better than none.

Also, since Baekhyun had decided to promote under his real name after the three of them got together, some fans had caught word of his new career, and that had inevitably led to a couple of articles being published about their participation in the show when news of it spread around. Baekhyun felt slightly uneasy, but Minseok and Jongdae's constant reassurance had helped him calm down.

Their performance ended up being the very first the show presented ― and what a first impression it was! They had decided to perform a duet; even if it was not flawless from a technical point of view, Baekhyun knew they'd done a good job, even if compared to professional singers. His heart especially tightened at how proud he felt of Jongdae. Damn, his boyfriend was truly an amazing singer.

Actually, both his boyfriends were amazing, even if in different ways.

They nibbled at their snacks and drinks as they finished watching the episode, surprised that the crew had added an extra snippet of another of their songs at the end (was anybody in the crew a fan?). They toasted again when it ended (this time Baekhyun raised his soda as well), Baekhyun and Jongdae ignored when Minseok pleaded for them to clean the rug ( _before we go to sleep, Hyung, not now!_ ), and the three of them snuggled on the couch, Baekhyun hugging Minseok, Jongdae hugging Jongdae, all feeling well-fed and overall quite fulfilled.

Hours went by as they mindlessly watched random shows on TV, talked, kissed at times. Baekhyun was not going to sleep in their apartment that day; he had an early recording the next morning (needed to record it early so Chanyeol had time to edit and post it in the afternoon), so he thought it was better to sleep at his place. He lingered for as long as he could, however. He had grown rather unaccustomed to being by himself, and his apartment felt too lonely now. Too silent. Too cold.

"You know... I've been thinking about that room we've been using for storage..." Minseok began, late into the night. "I think it'd be perfect as a computer room."

"You mean, a room with a large computer screen and a camera and a set decoration for recording videos?" Jongdae added, obviously something they had discussed before.

Baekhyun picked up on their hints; looked at one, then at the other. "Are you guys serious?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Jongdae nuzzled onto Baekhyun's tummy. "We've been together for almost a year."

"Even over a year, once you consider the time you were two-timing us," Minseok observed.

"Inaccurate, as I was not _two-timing_ anyone. It was all done out in the open and there was no cheating involved." The barista laughed (he had not really expected Baekhyun to fall for such an easy joke). "But honestly... Really? Me, living with you?"

"You basically live with us as it is," Jongdae pointed out. "Besides, we're all grown adults now and life's not getting any longer."

"Why postpone something we all know will happen at some point anyway? Besides, with three sources of income instead of two, we could even save some money to travel."

"Or buy a super cool bed with a TV embedded in it. I saw a really cool one on TV some days ago," Jongdae remarked, excited.

Baekhyun's heart was throbbing. It all felt too good to be true. "But if we used that room for my studio... Where would I sleep?"

Minseok and Jongdae frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"Of course you'd sleep with us. Why would you need another room?"

His chest tightened. Of course. Every time he came to their apartment, they slept together in Minseok and Jongdae's bed; since it was a standard double bed, it felt cramped at times, but they always found a way to fit there together, legs tangled and arms heaped upon one another. Baekhyun often woke up covered in sweat; on the brightside, they barely ever needed a blanket. Still, Baekhyun still couldn't help thinking of it as _their_ bed, him being just a temporary visitor, an invader.

If that became _their_ house ― as in, _his_ too ―, _their_ living room, _their_ bedroom...

"Hm." He hesitated, not sure what to say. "Hm."

"So, want us to help you move?" Jongdae grinned, understanding him better than he did himself, and hugged him tighter. "Summer vacation is coming up, so I'm going to have some time off."

"I know someone who could lend us a truck," Minseok added.

These two idiots, always so forward, so pushy...!

Baekhyun loved them too much.

He sat, then stood up and walked a couple of steps away, turning their back to them. "Alright. Let's do this!" He pointed his finger into the air like some sort of manga character, hoping his voice hadn't given away that his eyes were brimming with tears. "But I have one demand. We have to buy a larger bed."

Jongdae and Minseok smiled at him.

"Like I said, I saw a really cool ad for one!"

⚞⚟

_Epilogue_

Contrary to expectations, it took quite a while for the three of them to go to bed together.

Baekhyun had thought he would be more impatient. Since he had imagined these two together before he knew they were an item, the moment he found out the truth, he thought it wouldn’t have any impact on him.

That very first night when everything came to light, they had gone home separately ― Baekhyun to his own, Minseok and Jongdae to theirs ― after having dinner, and it was not very clear in any of their heads how things would be from then on. They knew some adaptation would be required, but, as it was a novel situation for all of them, none of the three could really take the lead.

Baekhyun ended up creating a group chat on Kakaotalk so they could talk together, but that was it ― and even in that aspect, they still continued to talk more in their private chats, as it seemed somewhat awkward to all of a sudden include a third element in their conversations.

But there was more to it, at least for Baekhyun.

Whenever Minseok or Jongdae suggested the three of them get together somewhere more private (mostly either of their homes), even when said suggestion had no sexual connotation, Baekhyun would panic. As mentioned, that was unexpected even for himself. He had thought he would feel excited to enact his fantasy; he was terrified to death instead. Whenever he thought of his two boyfriends kissing each other, undressing each other... Fucking each other... He felt out of place, like he would be seeing something he shouldn't. Like he was trespassing some invisible border. Like there was no room for him.

He could not make sense of it in his own head. He still had sex with Minseok and Jongdae separately, so it was not a matter of meddling with their relationship, was it? If he was afraid of spoiling their quasi-marriage, then even those acts should have left him ashamed, but they didn't. He also felt alright when they went out together to public places, like malls or going to the movies or grabbing something to eat, but perhaps that was because there was very little opportunity for displays of intimacy in those places (especially homosexual ones). None of them would ever kiss each other at those moments, and the most they did in the movies was hold each other's hands.

By himself, he thought long and hard about it. If their relationship was to work ― and he _really_ wanted it to work ―, he had to get over whatever the source of his anguish was.

After three weeks, he came to a conclusion: he was scared.

Scared that, if they got together at that level, they would finally realize he was not necessary. He didn't doubt they loved him, in a way ― but wasn't he, maybe, just a replacement, someone they went to whenever they could not see each other because of their busy schedules? He could not see any gap he could be filling in any of their lives beyond that. They were both perfect (or as perfect as a person can be, their imperfections included), _and_ perfect _for_ each other. When they went out together more casually, it felt like they were just friends, and that was something Baekhyun could handle. An intimate encounter, however, would surely make it clear to all those involved that including him did not make any sense.

It made his heart ache, since he could not bear the thought of losing any of them; and so, he did his best to avoid any situations that could lead to the three of them being alone. If at first he was able to disguise his dodging quite well, it was only a matter of time before Minseok and Jongdae got impatient themselves and/or noticed something was amiss.

Baekhyun wasn't really sure which of the alternatives had taken place when they finally managed to make an invitation he could not refuse without giving himself away.

For two weeks in a row, Baekhyun had told Jongdae he could not sleep with him on Friday night, afraid that the singer might suggest Minseok come over as well. He missed Jongdae terribly because of that, of course, but what could he do? But then, after a month of running away, Jongdae suddenly informed him via text Minseok was coming over to watch them the following Friday. What about the bar, he had asked; there's going to be a power outage on the whole street to fix some underground wires, Jongdae answered, so he wasn't going to open the café either Friday or Saturday. They both had the night free.

He was not worried about Minseok coming to the bar, as it was a public place after all, but it would be harder to avoid going home with them later. Baekhyun felt they were cornering him, which meant whatever he did, he had to be extra thoughtful so that they did not suspect him. After their performance ended, they sat together for some drinks first (although only Minseok drank alcohol, as the other two had to drive their own cars).

Baekhyun considered it was the right time to put his plan into action: he said he wanted to take that chance to go to a pizza place nearby that had been on his radar for months.

"We actually prepared some food back home," Minseok nonchalantly revealed. "Just have to heat it up when we arrive."

He was caught by surprise and did not really know how to respond. The other two seemingly noticed it and, without further ado, got up and dragged him to their cars. That would've been another opportunity to slip away (he could just call them after they left and tell them he had to go somewhere else), if Minseok had not asked to ride with him instead ― allegedly, to experience what an Audi was like. Therefore, with no further ideas on how to _not_ go to their apartment, Baekhyun ended up doing just that.

It was a nice apartment, although Baekhyun couldn't really pay much attention to it with how nervous he was. Despite his wild imagination that had made him believe these two would pin each other to the wall the moment they stepped inside, they actually walked straight into the kitchen and started heating up the food (Minseok put an apron on so as to not to dirty his clothes). Then, they sat together at the rectangular table, ate and talked and drank, and Baekhyun figured he couldn't even claim he had a stomach ache, since it was the healthiest and tastiest meal he had had for the whole week. _Fuck_.

Jongdae and Minseok had a minor discussion over who was going to do the dishes that night, and decided to settle it over a paper-rock-scissors best out of three matches ( _not you, Baekhyun-ah, since it's the first time you've come here_ ). Jongdae ended up losing, so he got up, put the leftovers away, took their dishes to the kitchen sink, and started hand washing them.

Minseok walked up to Jongdae and hugged him from behind as he worked. Baekhyun remained sitting, watching them with a heavy heart.

Baekhyun wondered if Minseok had noticed it, because after a short while, without letting go of Jongdae, he turned his eyes to him. With his arms tightly warped around Jongdae's torso, Minseok started leaving soft kisses on his shoulders, while his eyes never moved from Baekhyun's, gleaming with mischief. It felt like he was teasing him, _inviting_ him; one of his hands moved down, a thumb slipping into the elastic band of the sweatpants Jongdae had changed into after they got home.

"Stop it!" Jongdae chastised him, bringing Baekhyun back from his haze in the process. "How am I supposed to finish doing the dishes if you start touching me? Go take a shower, you perv."

He pouted. "Is that the way to treat your boyfriend..." He complained, but nevertheless released him and left the room soon after.

"I'll be done with it in a minute," Jongdae informed Baekhyun with a smile. "Then we can watch some TV. Is there anything on you wanna watch tonight?"

"I think... I actually might need to go home soon," Baekhyun tried.

"Yeah." He seemed to accept it easily enough...? "Well, when you need to go, that's fine. But won't you cuddle with me for a bit?"

Jongdae was making such a sad puppy (correction: kitty) face, Baekhyun couldn't simply refuse him.

They sat on the couch together. Jongdae put something on and did not even glance at the screen as he opened his arms for Baekhyun to snuggle in. They fell into an easy embrace, Jongdae softly running his fingers over Baekhyun's back over to his nape and the back of his head, patting his hair, as Baekhyun, in turn, just let his head rest against Jongdae's chest, listening to his somewhat faster than usual heartbeat.

He wasn't acting like it, but... Was he nervous?

Baekhyun was not sure how long they stayed like that, just touches and no words between them. He slowly felt more at ease, relaxing into the hug. Without ever stopping caressing him, Jongdae started placing the softest of kisses on the top of his head at some point; then, with one hand, he prompted Baekhyun to raise and turn his face to him, and pecked him lightly on the lips. He was a bit surprised when Jongdae moved away instead of making more intense advances. Although they remained at a close distance, Jongdae just gazed at him lovingly, his hand still caressing his back, but he made no move to approach him again.

Baekhyun sighed, realizing he had not nearly as much self-restraint as he thought, before he lurched up and planted a kiss on his lips.

The room instantly got some ten degrees hotter, all the softness and lightness from before replaced with desperate hands under clothes and on skin. They rolled to their sides; their kisses were sloppy, too desperate and aggressive to contain any skill, but neither cared as they groped every part of the other they could reach. They rolled again, and this time Jongdae was on top of Baekhyun, straddling his hips.

It was only then that Baekhyun noticed Minseok had been standing at the entrance of the corridor, leaning against the wall, observing them with the most sinful expression he had ever seen on him.

"Don't mind me," he said, his plea dripping with lust to the point Baekhyun could almost hear the splatters on the ground. "Go on."

He blushed violently on the spot and let go of Jongdae as if he was a hot piece of metal. Jongdae fell on his back on the other side of the couch as Baekhyun sat up straight, staring at both of them with wide, terrified eyes.

"Baekhyun-ah..." Jongdae eyed him worryingly. "We know something's off."

"You've been avoiding being alone with us for weeks," Minseok picked up as he approached them, all of that desire vanished from his face. "Would you tell us what's on your mind?"

Baekhyun looked down to his own hands, resting on his lap. How to explain something he couldn't even make sense of himself? Even though he had already come to a conclusion, his reasoning still sounded childish, even to himself. He _knew_ he was being unreasonable, yet those were his feelings; he couldn't help feeling the way he did, could not use reason to dissipate those negative thoughts, all that insecurity. If he told them, he felt he knew what they were going to say, so would it make any difference?

They deserved an explanation, though, so that was the very least he could give them before running away with his tail between his legs.

"I..." He bit his lower lip, feeling his face heat up ― due to embarrassment or shame, he was not sure. "I think... Maybe, I'm afraid that... You two might eventually realize you don't really need me."

Minseok's eyebrows twitched. " _Need_ you? What do you mean?"

"Ah, as in... For whatever reason, you got interested in me, but eventually you'll come to the understanding that your love for each other is enough, and... That it might just be too troublesome to add somebody else to the equation."

The two looked at each other for a while. Baekhyun was surprised; they looked... relieved?

"So that's what it is." Minseok went around the coffee table and prompted Baekhyun to move to the center of the couch, then took the place he had been sitting at before. "If that's what you were worried about, why were you not avoiding us individually? Actually, you've even gone out with the both of us together at times."

"If I met you one-to-one, or if we met as friends, I thought the fact I have nothing to add to your relationship would not be as evident..." He explained with his face hidden behind his hands.

"Baekhyun-ah." Jongdae scuffled closer, then pulled his hands gently away from his face. "Listen to me. How can you say you're not needed? Who's going to play League of Legends with me if not you?"

"Who's going to watch horror movies with me? And who's gonna help me bully Jongdae into washing the dishes?"

Jongdae frowned. "Ignore that last point. Most importantly, who's gonna drive so that both Minseok and I can drink?"

Baekhyun smiled sadly.

"I appreciate it, guys, but you know these are just anecdotes. You don't really need me and time will show that. Just... It's not like I'm saying I want to break up with you either, I _love_ you, but... It's just terribly agonizing being with you, knowing it will end someday..."

There was a moment of silence, followed by a sigh. "I don't think anyone can promise anything will last forever..." Jongdae started, "but even if I cannot promise you forever, I can tell you I believe I'll love you for a long, long time."

"We didn't start dating you on a whim, you know." Minseok's voice was more serious, but there was still some softness in his touch as he placed his hand over Baekhyun's shoulder. "Jongdae was actually in tears when he told he had fallen in love with you—"

"I really was."

"—and I was really reticent about getting into another relationship as well, even after you two started dating. We both considered whether we should date you very seriously. And let me tell you this: Jongdae and I were not having any problems in our relationship, not at all. So, if you're having any wrong ideas there in your mind, know that we were not either emotionally or physically needy." Jongdae nodded. "We're pretty chill and just want to have a simple, uncomplicated life. We didn't _want_ to fall in love with you, yet we did."

"Besides, Baekhyun-ah... Remember what I told you two, that first time the three of us met together. Minseok and I fell in love with you separately. It was troublesome for us, the idea of us two becoming a group of four or five (later three when we realized we fell in love with the same person), yet we both had decided to take our relationship with you seriously because that's how much we both loved you. It has never been a fling for any of us."

"The place you have in my heart and Jongdae's is not a place either of us can fill with anyone else, not even with each other," Minseok added, fondly patting his back. "As Jongdae said, the fact we got interested in you separately should've already shown you this much ― how could you be replacing both me in Jongdae's life and Jongdae in my life at the same time? You're so unlike us in many aspects, and that's a good thing."

"You are your own person, and those were not just anecdotes. The position you occupy in our lives now... It would be empty without you."

At that they quieted, each on one side of Baekhyun, Jongdae holding his hands, Minseok with a hand on his back, waiting for his reaction.

" _Fuck_ , I don't deserve you guys..." Baekhyun fought back the tears in his eyes, although he could not disguise his choked voice. "I thought hearing you say it out loud wouldn't help, but... It did. Thank you. It's just― I can't really control it, you know? I'm so scared. Guess I'm a coward..."

"Shh, don't say that." Jongdae squeezed his hands in reassurance. "We get it. Take your time. Just..."

"Just trust us, alright?" Minseok complemented. "Even if it takes time for you to feel comfortable, I'm sure your heart will come around at some point. But meanwhile, don't put distance between us."

Baekhyun agreed weakly. "That much I can do. I trust you." He smiled at both of them, his eyes still shiny and watery. "Sorry to be such a piece of work."

"Shh, no self-deprecating comments are allowed in this house!" Jongdae told him off again, mocking anger, and finally managing to coax a chuckle out of Baekhyun.

They stared at each other just a while longer before Jongdae jumped on Baekhyun, knocking him against the back of the couch, and Minseok later hugged them both, planting a kiss on their heads. Baekhyun allowed himself to smile, feeling the weight that had been crushing his heart get a bit lighter. It may take some time, and he hated feeling insecure, but it was certainly worth it. So worth it for those two.

"Hm..." Jongdae thought out loud after they all had released their grip on each other, "but of course, Baekhyun-ah, it is a given that... If you're not comfortable with, you know, having sex with us two at the same time..."

"You can take your time on getting used to that idea, too," Minseok concurred, "as much a shame as that'd be." His expression was of pure longing. One could think he was talking of more innocent topics, not _sex_. "We both have been looking forward to it."

"Ah― no!" He quickly corrected, shaking his hands. "I was not afraid of having sex because of the act itself, just because of these feelings. So, now that we've talked about them... I don't see any reason, really, not to do it!" He figured he most likely should feel a little embarrassed about seeming so desperate, but on second thought... _Fuck it_.

Apart from his insecurity, deep in his heart (read: dick) he was as eager for that as they were.

"In that case..." A lewd smile appeared on Jongdae's face.

Minseok raised an eyebrow at him. "Bed?"

Jongdae nodded. "Bed."

In the span of seconds, Minseok had somehow grabbed Baekhyun and lifted him in his arms bridal style. He almost screamed at first (wasn't he too heavy? Was he going to fall?!), but then realized Minseok's hold was quite steady (those arms really weren't that muscular just for the show). The barista waltzed through the living room to the corridor carrying a giggling Baekhyun, a smiling Jongdae trailing close behind them, until they got to the bedroom.

Minseok laid Baekhyun down in the center of the bed, then carefully removed his slippers and placed them by the bed feet. Baekhyun looked at the former couple standing next to each other and couldn't help blushing. The look in their faces were slightly different, in accordance with their personalities, but the essential nature of the feelings behind them were the same: overwhelming, intense desire.

Baekhyun felt like he was going to be eaten alive.

They moved in harmony despite not speaking a word ― perhaps one of the advantages of being together for years. Minseok removed Baekhyun's jacket and T-shirt without ever breaking eye contact with him (well, except for when the T-shirt was over his face), the light brushes of his fingers against his just exposed skin burning him like fire, shooting through his nerves like an electric shock. At the same time, Jongdae glided his hands up Baekhyun's legs over his jeans, touched his dick and balls over the fabric before unbuttoning his pants, licking his way down the inner part of Baekhyun's thighs as he gently took both his jeans and his underwear off.

As they finished undressing him, each sat on one side of him on the bed. Baekhyun covered his chest with his arms, weirdly embarrassed about being naked while the two of them were still fully clothed.

"Since our dear Baekhyun-ah is feeling insecure, how about―"

"... We take good care of him?" Jongdae smirked. "That's what I was thinking too, Hyung."

"Wait, what are you two up to― Ahh!" He did not need any further explanation when the two attacked his neck at once, one on each side.

His neck was really too sensitive; with two people breathing down on him, kissing and sucking the tender skin, Baekhyun felt he was about to pass out. They both knew his limits, however, knew he could not stand that for too long, and did not linger there for longer than necessary, moving down after leaving a hickey each at the base of his neck, closer to his nape, a place that they knew would not show in his videos.

Baekhyun thought he would get some relief, but their next target was even more deadly: they moved on to his nipples. If they had attacked one nipple each, it would have been a grave offense on Baekhyun's sanity, but he thought he could have survived it. They decided, however, to lick and nibble the same nipple at the same time, while their hands played with the other nipple together as well. The intense sensation from two tongues pressing against his bud, teeth grazing over it, what felt like countless fingers pinching and massaging and flicking on the other side of his chest, were driving him crazy, but it was the _visual image_ of seeing fully clothed Minseok and Jongdae bent over him, their tongues and noses meeting as they lapped at his nipple, their heavy eyes flicking from ogling Baekhyun to looking lasciviously at each other, that drove Baekhyun over the edge.

He had been only half-aware of how hard he was up to that point. Normally, he would've been able to withstand much longer, but― It had happened too fast, way too fast. His whole body jerked as his orgasm shot through him, and he hadn't even realized in time to let them know.

The pearly strings flew across his abdomen, landing warm on his skin, some of it dripping onto Jongdae's sweater. The two bit each of his nipples one last time before they straightened their backs and looked cheerfully at his come.

"If we're that effective together, maybe it really is better for us to have sex one-on-one," Minseok teased him, laughing. Baekhyun was still dazed, so the punch he threw on him in return was too weak to show any result.

"Lucky you, Baekhyun-ah, your jizz only dirtied _my_ sweater. If Hyung's jacket got dirty, he'd have you go wash it for him right away."

"I'm _not_ that compulsive," Minseok complained. Jongdae stared at him. "Ok, it might have happened _once_ , but..."

"Like I said, _lucky_." He pecked Baekhyun's lips before standing up, removing his sweater and placing it over the dresser. "I'll wash it tomorrow."

"... Tomorrow?" Minseok's voice was strained.

"Yes, Hyung." His tone was final. Baekhyun thought that, despite his serious face, Jongdae seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Before he got back to the bed, Jongdae opened a drawer from one of the nightstands and got some wet wipes. He kneeled on the bed again, took one, handed the packet to Minseok, and soon the two of them were cleaning him thoroughly.

At first, he thought it was yet another instance of Minseok's obsessiveness (he always did the same after the two of them had sex), but it did not take him too long to realize they were rubbing him a bit _too_ strongly, going over the same places too many times, which happened to include his balls and dick ― and he was pretty sure none of his come had trickled that far down.

He was about to stop them, to tell them it was too soon, that he was too old to come again right now, that his refractory period was certainly longer than that, at the very least some ten or fifteen minutes, when he noticed...

Well, that was awkward. Fortunately he hadn't said anything, because... He was already half-hard again.

He hadn't been sure, because he hadn't gone completely soft from before, but now he could feel it ― indeed, it was not the feeling of a hard-on fading but of it _starting_. It only got worse when the evil couple tossed their wipes away and went back to his crotch, but this time with their bare hands.

 _Fuck_ , he could feel his lower pelvis tightening again. _Fuck_ _fuck fuck_. His orgasm had not been even two minutes ago, so he was still sensitive as they started to stroke him lazily, Jongdae wrapping his dick with his thumb caressing the head while Minseok held the base, his other hand fondling his balls.

"Is this the fastest you've seen him recover?" Jongdae asked, obviously wanting to tease Baekhyun but first making sure Minseok hadn't managed to get him hard again that quickly.

"Yeah, for sure," Minseok confirmed. "Like I said, maybe the two of us is more than he can handle..."

"Can you two stop talking about me in the third person?!" He groaned, as red as a beet, letting himself fall on his back and hiding his face behind his palms. "Besides, it's just― It's― It was too unexpected. I can _totally_ handle you two."

Baekhyun could only hear them laughing.

"We shall see." It was Minseok's voice.

"But first... Here." Jongdae let go of him momentarily to pick two pillows and arrange them under Baekhyun's head. He complied easily, a bit confused. "After all, you have to see it."

Oh.

See what, he could already imagine...

Their mouths hadn't reached his intimate parts and, he hated to admit it, his dick was already twitching.

Minseok kept his hold on the base of Baekhyun's cock and on his balls as Jongdae dove in first, swallowing him all the way right off the bat. Baekhyun's breath hitched. His eyes were glued to the scene as Jongdae slowly pulled away, letting his tongue sit heavily on his slit before suddenly deepthroating him again. This time, he brushed his lips on Minseok's fingers as he did it; the barista smiled, then stretched his index finger and briefly passed it over Jongdae's lips before putting it in his mouth, lightly stroking the inside of Jongdae's cheek, then the side of Baekhyun's dick.

The two of them moaned in unison, the vibrations within Jongdae's mouth making every sensation that more intense.

Alright, maybe he was not going to be able to handle them very well.

Correction, he _was_ _not_ going to be able to handle them. Definitively. For sure. Without a doubt.

Not when, after Jongdae pulled away, the next time he went down to take him in Minseok went down with him, each of them sucking onto one side of the head of his dick.

Once again, the visual stimulation was almost as severe as the physical pleasure jolting through his body. The very idea of two people going down on him was enticing enough, but _seeing_ them do it, Jongdae's eyes shut as he hummed and flicked his tongue on the underside of his dick and Minseok's peeping at him while he traced a vein along the length his shaft with his tongue, was wilder than any fantasy. Baekhyun gripped hard onto the duvet, trying to list all the champions of League of Legends in his mind, preferentially in alphabetic order. _Aatrox, Ahri, Akali_... they had exchanged positions, and now it was Minseok who was lightly sucking the tip of his dick, while Jongdae teased his balls, _Alistar, Amumu, Anivia, Annie, Ashe... Wait, there's also Aphelios_... Minseok had swallowed him in and was now swirling his tongue around the head. Jongdae scraped his teeth lightly over the thin skin of his balls while his fingers touched his perineum, _Caitlyn... Darius... Wait, I'm certainly missing many here_...

The LoL champions could not save him anymore. He had been watching the two as if he'd been entranced, unable to avert his eyes from them, but now he knew he could not stand that any longer. He closed his eyes, determined to make himself last longer ― but then a hand squeezed his own, cold air suddenly enveloped his dick, and he opened them again.

Minseok had pulled away, his lips wonderfully reddened and wet. "No, Baekhyun-ah. You have to watch."

Baekhyun was really too weak to Minseok's commanding tone, so he just nodded feebly, tightening his grip on the fabric.

The two rearranged themselves through some unspoken communication: Jongdae moved back up and started deepthroating him again, his fingers still massaging his perineum, while Minseok wrapped the base of his dick in a tight ring and jerked him off to the same pace of Jongdae's movements, leaving a trail of butterfly kisses along his hip bone. As Minseok increased his speed, so did Jongdae, his cheeks hollowing whenever he sucked the head in ― the smooth, soft insides of his mouth crashing against the sensitive skin. Baekhyun felt his vision wavering, points of white flashing all around as the tension in his groin spiked.

"Fuck, gonna come," he warned them, but neither of them stopped or moved away.

He released a second later, involuntarily thrusting up as he did so, but Jongdae didn't gag. He stilled his movements as Baekhyun's come shot inside his mouth, then let it sit on his tongue before swallowing it all at once. He licked his lips when he finished, a drop of white peeking out on the tip of his tongue.

"So...?" Minseok taunted him, planting a wet kiss near his navel.

Baekhyun was still trying to catch his breath. "... I admit defeat," he managed to speak, a few moments later. "You two will be the death of me. I won't last a month. Just please, don't tell my parents I died because sex was too good."

"Sex?" Jongdae raised an eyebrow at him. "This was just foreplay, Baekhyun-ah. We haven't really started yet." Baekhyun gulped down, but the iciness suddenly pooling in his stomach was not altogether out of fear...

He lifted his head a bit and scanned the lower part of his body before sighing.

"Count me out for now. I think not even you two can get me up right now, at least for not another half hour."

"It's ok. Rest a bit," Minseok soothed him, kneeling and placing a soft kiss on his sweaty forehead. "Although..." He looked at Jongdae on the other side, "you don't mind if we get started first, do you?"

Jongdae was startled for the briefest moment before he came to it, his face immediately mirroring Minseok's lewd expression. Meanwhile, Baekhyun was still processing what Minseok had meant by "we" and "get started"; the expression on those two's faces helped him piece things together, and he felt his face warming up. Mind it? He _wanted_ to see it!

"Please, be my guests," he consented, giggling like a teenager as he shuffled from the center to one side of the bed, clearing up some space.

Jongdae approached Baekhyun and kissed him once on the cheek, a very sweet and soft peck, before he got off the bed and stood up. Minseok had also gotten up on the other side and was circling the bed to reach him. Baekhyun scrambled up the bed, scooting back against the headboard, readying himself for the scene he was about to witness.

As soon as Minseok got to Jongdae, he grabbed him roughly by the waist and pushed him against the wall; Jongdae instantly whimpered, and continued doing so as Minseok's hands sneaked under his T-shirt and harshly touched his nipples.

"I don't know if you already know this, Baekhyun-ah," Minseok spoke, voice low and unexpectedly dark, "but this guy here likes some pain mixed with his pleasure." When Baekhyun saw himself at a loss of what to say (he had had his suspicions, but that was the extent of his knowledge), Minseok smirked again. "He's a bit embarrassed about it, you see. But," he pinched Jongdae's nipples, apparently quite forcefully; the sound that escaped the boy's throat was absolutely sinful, "you should go for it if you can, because he really feels it."

 _Damn_. Baekhyun looked at his dead dick again. He hoped it wouldn't take him too long to recover...

That had apparently been the end of Minseok's lesson. He pinned Jongdae's wrists over his head with one of his hands and started hungrily kissing him, his other hand still hidden under his T-shirt. Jongdae alternated between moaning and whimpering, and Baekhyun thought it was unfair that even his higher-pitch moans sounded that beautiful. From that distance, he could see the singer had already gotten hard, the line of his dick clearly drawn on the fabric of his pants; perhaps Minseok was hard too, because he pressed their hips together just a few moments later. Jongdae tried rutting against him as soon as they touched, but Minseok just pressed him harder against the wall, keeping him still.

The sounds leaving Jongdae's mouth became even heavier when Minseok pulled him by his hair, tilting his head back, and attacked his neck. Baekhyun knew Jongdae and he shared having a really sensitive neck area, and quivered at the viciousness of Minseok's assault ― he could hear the slurping and sucking sounds from there, despite being able to see only the back of the barista's head. When he drew away, a large purple bruise covered a prominent area of Jongdae's neck, its color still quite vibrant and bloody.

"Seems like it's gonna be turtleneck week again for you, Jongdae," Minseok teased him.

Jongdae frowned just slightly before pleasure spread over his face again as Minseok slowly rubbed his tongue over the bruise.

He proceeded to take Jongdae's shirt off, throwing it to the side, and launched a new attack on his chest. Jongdae's hands fell on their boyfriend's head, his fingers dipping into his hair; he pulled Minseok closer as the barista sucked random spots on his skin, leaving a constellation of purplish circles on his previously unblemished skin. Jongdae was wriggling against the wall now that Minseok's pressure against his body was gone, his hard-on pressing painfully against the zipper of his pants. When Minseok bit his nipple, alongside a sharp cry was Jongdae's movement of pushing his head away.

"Don't..." he pleaded, eyes blown black with desire, "... gonna come..."

Minseok's smile was lopsided as he nodded and pressed their bodies flush against the wall once more, going back to kissing his mouth. Baekhyun wondered if Jongdae was the only one who got turned on with pain, considering how into it Minseok also seemed to be, violently nibbling Jongdae's lips to the point they became swollen and a deeper shade of red in a matter of minutes.

He never thought he was into that himself, but looking at them now... He might want to give it a try.

Moaning into the kisses, Jongdae's hands trembled as they came to the collar of Minseok's jacket and struggled a bit, but finally managed to take it off. Then they moved to the front, and Baekhyun couldn't see it anymore, but he figured Jongdae must be trying to unbutton Minseok's shirt, since the fabric loosened around his frame after a short while.

It took him by surprise when Minseok suddenly turned them around and bent Jongdae on the bed, one of his hands pushing down his neck, the other splayed on his lower back.

Jongdae gasped, more out of surprise than anything else. "I'm not complaining, but... You're being quite the performer today, aren't you?"

Minseok laughed. "Shouldn't we put on a show for our Baekhyun-ah?" He leaned over him, pressing his crotch to Jongdae's ass, and whispered against his shoulders, "besides, don't you like it?"

"We should." He pushed his hips back. "Like I said... Not complaining."

Baekhyun couldn't take his eyes off of them as Minseok kissed Jongdae one more time between his shoulder blades and straightened up. His arms wrapped around Jongdae's lower abdomen, and then soon after he was pulling Jongdae's pants and underwear down. The singer looked at him longingly when he moved away to pick a bottle of lube and a box of condoms from the nightstand.

As soon as he was behind Jongdae again, he opened the zipper of his pants and pulled his pants and underwear down just enough to get his dick out. When he poured lube on his right hand and started spreading it over his shaft, Baekhyun widened his eyes.

"Aren't you gonna check if he's loose enough?" he asked, a bit worried. Jongdae's face was far from fearful though.

"He did get a bit tighter these days, you know... Since you haven't been fucking him," Minseok explained, pumping his own dick. "But don't worry, Jongdae likes to take it like this sometimes." He chuckled. "Although he's certainly gonna feel it tomorrow. Isn't that right, Jongdae-yah?"

Jongdae looked a bit embarrassed, although it was hard to say if he was flushed from that or simply from desire. "Shut up."

"Is that the right way to talk to your boyfriend?" Minseok laughed, caressing one of Jongdae's butt-cheeks.

"..." The singer pouted. "Sorry, Hyung." He spoke, obviously unwillingly, and Minseok just laughed once more. "Fuck me, please?"

"Of course I forgive you, Jongdae-yah."

And with that, he thrusted inside.

Jongdae screamed; tears pooled on his eyes. Baekhyun stared at him, still a bit uneasy, until he noticed Jongdae had started trembling... With pleasure. His dick was dripping pre-cum on the duvet, and even though tears were rolling down his face now, it was moans that were coming out of his mouth. Minseok had stilled, despite his initial rough thrust, waiting for Jongdae to adjust to him, drawing soothing circles onto his lower back.

"Baekhyun-ah," he drawled, so suddenly that it took a while for the (other) singer to understand it was him he had been talking to. "How are you feeling? Better already?"

"I... I think so, yeah."

Minseok ran a hand through his hair, pushing some sweaty strands away. "Then don't you wanna come here and help Jongdae out?"

He was not quite sure what the barista meant, but he was already feeling a lot more energetic and plentifully willing to join them, so he did not hesitate. He got to his knees and scrambled closer. Minseok had just started moving. Jongdae tried getting up on his arms; they were shaking too much, however, his whole body limp, and he fell onto the mattress again. Baekhyun lay his head next to his, wiped his tears with his thumb.

"Jongdae-yah," he whispered. "Need something?"

The (more experienced) singer opened his eyes just slightly, turning his head to brush his lips against Baekhyun's hand.

He exhaled softly and closed his eyes again. "Kiss me..."

Baekhyun cupped Jongdae's face with his hands and gently helped him up. Minseok's movements had grown steadier now, faster; he usually had extraordinary stamina, but considering the concentrated look on his face, Baekhyun thought not even he could resist much against such a tight ass.

 _Shit_ , that thought had done it. Baekhyun felt his own dick spring to life on his lap again.

Jongdae was breathing heavily, bouncing just the slightest from Minseok's thrusts since Baekhyun was still holding him. Baekhyun tilted his head up a bit and tied their lips together, just oh-so very faintly, the ghost of their breaths mixing together and leaving both their heads a bit airy. He brushed his thumbs over Jongdae's eyelids, then over the apples of his cheeks, then along the line of his sharp jawline. _Fuck_ , he was so _fucking_ beautiful...

A sudden, different kind of whimper escaped Jongdae's lips. Baekhyun moved away to check on him, then he noticed: Minseok had pulled away.

"You're hard again," Minseok pointed out, all glorious and covered in sweat, as he removed his shirt and his pants. "Don't you want to take care of Jongdae even more?"

He blushed. What was with Minseok, sputtering those words all of a sudden... "But Hyung, you were..."

"Yes, I was. And now you _will_ , won't you?" he sat on the bed next to Jongdae's shivering body. "Jongdae, tell him."

Jongdae looked at him dazedly and rasped out, "fuck me, Baekhyun-ah."

_Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Fuck._

He couldn't say no to that, could he?

When he stood up, Minseok already had lube on his hands. He had a lot of fun putting the condom on Baekhyun and covering his dick with it, watching Baekhyun's flushed face closely, taking the opportunity to jerk him off for a bit. Then he climbed on the bed and took Baekhyun's former place, kissing their other boyfriend deeply as Baekhyun placed himself behind Jongdae. He had such a plump, round ass; now that Baekhyun knew he was into it, perhaps Jongdae would let him slap it someday. But that was for another time.

Baekhyun caressed Jongdae's butt, gave it a squeeze, then pressed his dick against his hole, entering him slowly, inch by inch.

He raked his fingers across the boy's back, leaving faint clear trails with his fingernails. "Shit, Jongdae-yah, you feel amazing."

"You're so good for us, aren't you?" Minseok purred among their kisses.

Jongdae answered them by kissing Minseok harder and pushing himself back against Baekhyun's dick at the same time.

Despite having been assailed by their older boyfriend, Jongdae's hole was still a bit tight; or, at the very least, tighter than Baekhyun remembered them to be (Jongdae had been having less sex these past weeks, after all). Since Baekhyun had already come twice that night, he thought it wouldn't be that easy for him to come a third time. Therefore, he dared to thrust faster and deeper than he normally did, although he tried to keep a steady rhythm, angled just right to make Jongdae wriggle under him, clutching desperately into the air as the pressure in his prostate grew more and more each time Baekhyun's dick rubbed against it.

Minseok covered him with kisses, bit his earlobes, licked his ear, sucked his neck, scraped his teeth over the large bruise he had left there before; combined with Baekhyun's powerful and regular thrusts, soon the combined tension proved itself to be unbearable. Jongdae started to push himself against Baekhyun's dick harder, mumbling Baekhyun's and Minseok's names together with a series of pleas for release, and the other two got the hint. Minseok supported his shoulders while Baekhyun tightened his grip on Jongdae's waist with one hand and wrapped the other around his dick, starting to jerk him off. With Baekhyun pounding into him, a hand around his dick and a mouth against his own, Jongdae soon came with a jolt, his whole body trembling with the intensity of his orgasm. He rested his head on the curve of Minseok's neck, feeling completely spent, but still found some energy to raise his arm back to pat Baekhyun's hand, the one that was still on his waist.

When Baekhyun pulled away, Minseok immediately handed him the wipes. He chuckled as he cleaned his hands, then Jongdae's dick (he shivered at the touch), then rubbed clean drops that had fallen on the bed.

Some seconds later, Jongdae turned around, making a great effort to stand on his knees, and pulled Baekhyun in for a kiss.

"I missed you," he breathed against his mouth, brushing their noses.

Baekhyun pressed their foreheads together. "Me too."

Minseok hugged Jongdae from behind and kissed Baekhyun on his cheek. "Let's get all lovey-dovey after we've handled _this_ properly", he suggested, tugging Baekhyun's hard-on with one of his hands.

Baekhyun suddenly remembered Minseok hadn't come yet. "Wanna fuck me?" He offered, wiggling his eyebrows.

The barista smiled. "Thought you'd never ask." With that, Jongdae and Minseok grabbed Baekhyun and pulled him onto the bed.

When the two of them lay down next to him, Baekhyun wasn't too sure what they were planning; but then he saw both of them smearing lube onto their fingers, and the general picture of what waited for him formed in his mind. Minseok inserted his finger first and pumped it in and out without much strength for some time; when there was no more resistance, Jongdae added one of his own. Even if he had already had two fingers inside him before, it was quite a different feeling to be fingered by two different people at once: it felt like they were attacking him on all sides, the textures and length and thickness of their fingers clearly distinct and way too perceptible.

Baekhyun exhaled shakily as he had his prostate rubbed for the first time that night, the sensitiveness turning into tightness soon enough. He squirmed, sandwiched between their bodies, Minseok's own hard-on poking his hip. Jongdae nuzzled against his ear, his hot breath leaving goosebumps on Baekhyun's neck as Minseok mouthed at the corner of his jawline.

 _Shit_ , he wished someone would just fuck him soon.

Like he had read his thoughts, Minseok kissed him one last time and shuffled on the bed till he was kneeling between his legs. Jongdae left his finger inside, pumping lazily in and out while Minseok changed condoms and lubed his dick again; only then, after Minseok had held Baekhyun's ankles and placed them on his shoulders, did he reluctantly pull his finger away.

He exhaled deeply when he felt the tip of Minseok's dick touching his hole; held his breath till he was all in, then raggedly sighed. The barista was once again motionless for a while, letting him adjust. Since they had already stimulated him with their fingers, his inner walls felt particularly sensitive, and he shuddered. Jongdae threw an arm over his chest, leaving butterfly kisses all over his face to try to distract him.

"Baekhyun-ah, you're so cute when you're being fucked," he mumbled. "Such a shame, I wish I had fucked you today too."

Although he was in a rather fragile and pitiful state at that moment, Baekhyun still found it in himself to tease him. "You still can, if you want."

"No chance." He kissed his cheek again. "I'm way too sore right now."

They stopped their conversation as Minseok started to move again, and Baekhyun all of a sudden forgot how to speak. They had already had sex countless times, so Minseok knew just where and how to thrust into him to drive him crazy ― which was exactly what he did.

Relentless as always, Minseok pounded vigorously into him from the very beginning. Baekhyun held onto Jongdae's arm on his chest for support, and all was going fine and well and building up at a pleasurable but not overwhelming pace ― until Jongdae decided to grab his dick again. The head was almost sore after so much stimulation; when Jongdae engulfed it in his hand and squeezed it, Baekhyun writhed and arched his back, both wanting to escape from that touch and to drown in it. Jongdae smiled and did not let go, starting instead to whisper dirty words into Baekhyun's ear. _Isn't it good, having Hyung fuck you? If you want, I can suck you again... I promise I will swallow every last drop..._

Minseok kissed one of Baekhyun's ankles that were resting on his shoulders, sweat running down his face, and held his knees tighter, lifting Baekhyun's hips a bit so he could thrust into him even deeper than before. Noticing the shift in his movements, Jongdae also started jerking him off faster, although he decided to cut him some slack and focused more on the rest of his dick instead of only on the sensitive head. Baekhyun wanted to bend his legs, but Minseok was holding them; wanted to move, but Jongdae's arm on his chest and his body flushed against his side were keeping him roughly in place. It was a sweet type of torture, a pleasure too intense to withstand, and at that moment he understood how close pain and pleasure truly were.

The rhythm of Minseok's thrust had increased to the verge of becoming unbearable; Baekhyun's insides tightened, an unspeakable pressure accumulating in his crotch yet once more, and his whole body seemed to scream when he released for the third time. Minseok's hips stuttered as he came with a silent moan at the same time, holding onto the legs in his shoulders for support.

Baekhyun blacked out for a few seconds, something that had never happened to him before. When he came back to his senses, Jongdae was kissing him all over, patting his head and caressing his shoulders and chest and simply lavishing him with affection. Minseok was busy cleaning them up ― Jongdae's hand, and his abdomen that had gotten dirty again ―, but as soon as he finished, he lay down next to him and also showered him with the softest of touches and kisses.

He felt physically content, but that had not been the best part of that night.

More than anything, at that moment, he felt loved.

...

"Do you really need to go home early tomorrow?" Jongdae asked sometime later, after the three of them had tucked into bed together. It was a bit cramped, a bit too warm, but also perfect in its own way.

"It's work," he said simply, also feeling a little regretful.

"It's a shame, but we will still have plenty of moments to be together." Minseok pecked each of them on the lips, then turned the lights off. "For now, let's just be responsible adults and go to sleep. Baekhyun needs to sleep properly since he is a celebrity and has to take good care of his skin."

Jongdae rolled his eyes, although he knew he was right. Baekhyun chuckled, snuggled comfortably between their bodies.

"Ah, and Jongdae?"

"Yes?"

"Don't forget to wash the duvet together with your sweater tomorrow." The other two snorted.

Despite being responsible adults, the three still talked for some time before they finally fell asleep together for the first time ― of many to come.

**Author's Note:**

> It is really incredibly tiring writing smut, and I included so many scenes... OTL. Hope it paid off somehow!
> 
> I hate rushing to finish a fic because I cannot stop and reread it and reflect upon it as much as I'd like, but still... I'm happy with how it turned out. It may not be perfect, but I finally managed to get over a years-long writer's block, so it was worth it ♡
> 
> I hope you, readers, smiled at least a bit when reading it, and rooted for these three to finally talk properly and sort things out! You know how easily they could have realized what was going on if Minseok and Jongdae weren't allergic to the internet? Geez. (But that's their charm too.)
> 
> I'm not too sure what else to say -- sorry if my long-ass paragraphs were tiring, thanks for reading, and hope it was at least a bit enjoyable! ♡


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